The mass transfer profile (permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients) of chlorine dioxide POD, a strong oxidizing agent that is used in food and pharmaceutical packaging, was determined through various common polymeric packaging materials. A continuous system for measuring permeation of ClO2, using an electrochemical detector, was developed. It was observed that biaxially-oriented poly(propylene), poly (ethylene terephthalate), poly(lactic acid), nylon, and a multilayer structure of ethylene vinyl acetate and ethylene vinyl alcohol were better barriers for gaseous ClO2, as compared to polyethylene, poly(vinyl chloride), and polystyrene. The activation energies of permeation for 002 through poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(lactic acid) were determined to be 51.05 +/- 4.35 and 129.03 +/-2.82 kJ/mol, respectively. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 114: 2929-2936, 2009