Certain orthopaedic procedures may expose health care providers to contamination of scrub clothing, personal undergarments, and/or skin by patients' body fluids. The incidence and site of fluid contamination were studied for an orthopaedic surgeon and his assistant during 54 orthopaedic operations from March through May 1989. Contamination was recorded in 35 of the cases (65%) for the surgeon, and in 37 (69%) for the assistant. The sites of contamination spanned the length of the lower extremities, with an overall 34% incidence above the knee. The surgeon and assistant then monitored fluid contamination during 43 cases from March through May 1990 while wearing water-impervious surgical pants. An additional 16 clinicians also tested these pants and answered questions regarding their comfort and utility. No cases of fluid contamination were recorded during the second phase of the study. The garment was reported to be comfortable and did not appear to add a heat factor, even with the use of lead aprons during fluoroscopic procedures.