the coating formulation of this invention comprises a vae polymer emulsion blended with a paraffin wax emulsion , and optionally a separate protective colloid , such as hydroxyethyl cellulose or poly ( vinyl alcohol ) ( pvoh ). the blend comprises 10 to 90 wt % vae polymer emulsion , and 10 to 90 wt % paraffin wax emulsion , based on the total weight of the blend . the polymer emulsion can be a vae polymer emulsion comprising a polymer of vinyl acetate and ethylene , and optionally one or more other ethylenically unsaturated monomer . exemplary of other ethylenically unsaturated monomers are c 3 - c 10 alkenoic and alkenedioic acids , such has acrylic acid , crotonic acid , maleic acid , fumaric acid , and itaconic acid , and their mono - and diesters with c 1 - c 18 alkanols , such as methanol , ethanol , propanol , butanol , and 2 - ethylhexanol ; vinyl halides , such as vinyl chloride ; and nitrogen containing monomers , such as nitrites , amides , n - methylol amides , lower alkanoic acid esters of n - methylol amides , lower alkyl ethers of n - methylol amides and allylcarbamates , such as acrylonitrile , acrylamide ; and lower alkyl ethers and lower alkanoic acid esters of n - methylol acrylamide and n - methylol allylcarbamate . vinyl acetate in the vae polymer typically ranges from 70 to 95 wt %, and ethylene ranges from 5 to 30 wt %, based on the total monomers in the copolymer . up to 10 wt % of other ethylenically unsaturated monomers may be present in the copolymer . the combination of monomers in the vae polymer is such that the polymer has a t g of − 15 to 30 ° c . ; preferably 10 to 25 ° c . examples of vae polymers which are appropriate for this invention contain 80 to 95 wt % vinyl acetate and 5 to 20 wt % ethylene . the vae polymers can also contain 85 to 95 wt % vinyl acetate and 5 to 15 wt % ethylene , or 90 to 95 wt % vinyl acetate and 5 to 20 wt % ethylene . the vae polymer emulsion can be formed by copolymerization of the monomers in the presence of a stabilizing system by aqueous emulsion polymerization techniques well known in the art . examples of known methods of forming vae polymer emulsions are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 164 , 489 ; 4 , 521 , 561 ; and 4 , 921 , 898 ; which are hereby incorporated by reference . airflex ® rb - 18 vae polymer emulsion , available form air products and chemicals , inc ., is an example of a commercial vae polymer emulsion that can be used in this invention . the stabilizing system used in making poly ( vinyl acetate ) or vae polymer emulsions can comprise surfactants , emulsifiers , a protective colloid , or a combination of surfactants , emulsifiers , and protective colloid . poly ( vinyl alcohol ) is a preferred protective colloid . vae polymer emulsions that can be particularly effective in the coating formulation of this invention are pvoh - stabilized polymer emulsions having a t g ranging from − 15 to 30 ° c . ; preferably 10 to 25 ° c . a coating formulation that has little ( less than about 50 ppm ) or no formaldehyde and is free of alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants can be especially useful for absorbent pads that are in contact with food , and for personal and protective hygiene products . typical paraffin waxes have melt point temperatures of 114 to 160 ° f . ( 46 to 71 ° c .). solids of the final paraffin wax emulsion can vary from 25 % to 60 %; more typically , 35 to 55 %. the ph of the emulsion can range from 8 to 10 , typically 8 . 9 to 9 . 8 , but is dependent on the process used . the final particle size is dependent on a number of variables including the homogenization which is used at the end of the process . particle size of the paraffin wax emulsion can vary between 0 . 02 to 1 . 5 microns . the particle size for paraffin wax alone is typically 0 . 2 to 0 . 8 microns ; preferably 0 . 3 microns or greater or 0 . 4 microns or greater . the final average particle size of the paraffin wax emulsion has been found to be important to the viscosity of the blend in which the polymer emulsion is a poly ( vinyl alcohol ) stabilized vae polymer emulsion . in a blend of a poly ( vinyl alcohol ) stabilized vae polymer emulsion , if the average particle size of the paraffin wax is less than 0 . 3 micron , an undesirable rise in viscosity of the blend can occur during the blending process . an average particle size of at least 0 . 3 micron , preferably at least 0 . 4 micron is desired for blends containing poly ( vinyl alcohol ) stabilized vae polymer emulsions . the paraffin wax emulsion can also be a blend of paraffin wax with other materials , such as polyethylene or ethylene acrylic acid . emulsion blends of paraffin wax and polyethylene or paraffin wax and ethylene acrylic acid are commercially available from michelman inc under the product name michem emulsion 62330 and michem emulsion 34935 , respectively . the paraffin wax emulsion can be prepared by melting refined paraffin wax to a temperature above the melting point of the paraffin . appropriate emulsifiers , such as stearic acid , oleic acid , diethylamine ethanol , 2 - amino - 2 - methyl - 1 - propanol , can then be stirred into the wax emulsion at the elevated temperature . a base , such as potassium hydroxide or ammonium hydroxide , can then be dissolved in ethylene glycol or water at elevated temperatures and slowly added to the wax blend while increasing agitation speed of the mixer . after all the water / base mixture has been added to the molten wax , the resulting wax in water emulsion can be passed through a homogenizer to further adjust particle size of the emulsion . after homogenization , the resulting emulsion is cooled , for example , through a heat exchanger , and then filtered and packaged . michem me 70950 , supplied by michelman inc , is an example of a commercially available paraffin wax emulsion that can be used in the blend of this invention . the blend can contain other components such as pigments which may improve opacity or color ; water soluble polymers or protective colloids , such as poly ( vinyl alcohol ) and hydroxyethyl cellulose , which may improve fiber bonding and aid in emulsion stability ; and hydrophobic additives , such as fluoro surfactants , which may improve the hydrophobic character of the coating . examples of fluoro surfactants are the perfluoroalkyl acrylic copolymers sold under the tradename zonyl 8300 or zonyl 7040 , supplied by ciba geigy . broad preferred most % dry wt % dry wt preferred % component ( solids ) ( solids ) dry wt ( solids ) polymer emulsion 10 - 90 20 - 80 40 - 60 paraffin wax emulsion 10 - 90 20 - 80 40 - 60 water soluble polymer or 0 - 80 0 - 10 0 - 5 protective colloid fluoro surfactant 0 - 5 0 - 3 0 - 2 pigment 0 - 10 0 - 5 0 - 3 total 100 100 100 property broad range preferred range dry solids 25 - 60 % 35 - 55 % viscosity ( cps )* 150 to 1200 200 - 1000 ph 8 - 10 8 . 9 - 9 . 8 * measured with brookfield viscometer , model rv @ 60 rpm ; # 3 spindle ; 20 ° c . the polymer emulsion and the paraffin wax emulsion can be blended together by well known methods , such as the following method : add an appropriate amount of polymer emulsion to a blending vessel ; mix in a correct amount of dilution water to form the targeted solids ; adjust ph , under agitation , with ammonium hydroxide ; under agitation , slowly add the appropriate amount of paraffin wax emulsion ; optionally add , under agitation , other components ; and continue agitation until ingredients are well blended . an example of a substrate to which the coating formulation is applied is a nonwoven fiber web in a single layer or multiple layers . the nonwoven web can be 100 % cellulosic web , a blend of synthetic fibers and cellulosic fibers , or all synthetic fibers , such as polyethylene , polypropylene , polyester , and polyamide fibers . the webs can be formed by a dry process , such as air - laid , carded , and rando , or by a wet process . a 100 % synthetic web can also be produced through a spun laid or melt blown process or made by a combination of processes . examples of other substrates include textiles that require a hydrophobic coating that prevents penetration of fluids but allows transmission of water vapor ; such as , disposable protective work garments , medical garments , and tablecloths . the coating formulations of this invention can be applied as a coating to a substrate using well know coating techniques ; for example , spraying , saturation , foam application , print application , and roll application . coat weights typically range from 5 to 30 g / m 2 of substrate . hydrostatic barrier properties are measured in order to determine the effectiveness of the coating in preventing penetration of fluids through the coating . hydrostatic barrier properties can be measured according to european disposables and nonwovens association ( edana ) test method ert . 120 . 1 - 80 , repellency / wet barrier hydrostatic head test . when the blend of this invention is applied as a coating to a substrate and dried , the coated substrate will exhibit a hydrostatic head barrier of at least 30 mm , preferably at least 60 mm , using edana test method ert . 120 . 1 - 80 , in order to be effective as a barrier coating . the invention will be further clarified by a consideration of the following examples , which are intended to be purely exemplary of the use of the invention . in all examples , blends were made as described above . the paraffin wax emulsion was michem me 70950 supplied by michelman inc . the coating was spray applied to the nonwoven substrates . after adjusting the dry solids level of the coating formulations to about 10 and 20 % solids , they were sprayed under pressure onto a surface of a nonwoven substrate . the nonwoven substrates were either 100 % cellulosic fibers or a structured nonwoven web made from a layer of a 100 % cellulosic fibers and a layer of synthetic fibers . the coating was applied to the layer of synthetic fibers in the substrate containing the layer of cellulosic fibers and the layer of synthetic fibers . the coated substrate was then dried in an air oven at temperatures above the boiling point of water ; typically 125 - 160 ° c . ( 257 - 320 ° f .). hydrostatic barrier properties of the coated substrate were measured according to edana test method ert . 120 . 1 - 80 . various polymer emulsions were blended with paraffin wax emulsions for the coating formulations . the results of measuring hydrostatic barrier properties of the coated substrates are presented in table 1 . these data show that pvoh - protected vae polymer emulsions combined with the paraffin wax emulsion ( samples 4 and 5 ) provided the best performance as a barrier coating . the vae polymer emulsion that is protected with both pvoh and surfactant ( sample 4 ) demonstrated good hydrostatic barrier properties on the cellulose substrate but was not as efficient on the structured substrate compared to sample 5 . effect of varying the ratio of pvoh - protected vae and paraffin wax emulsion in the blend the ratio of the pvoh - protected airflex rb 18 vae polymer emulsion and paraffin wax emulsion was varied to determine the effect of paraffin wax on the hydrostatic head properties of the coating on a 100 % cellulosic web . results are presented in table 2 . the data show that increasing the paraffin wax level from 0 to 70 % of dry solids improved the hydrostatic head barrier properties of the coated substrate . effect of varying the amount of paraffin wax emulsion with airflex rb - 18 vae polymer emulsion in the coating formulation was studied . coatings were spray applied at a 12 % solids level and dried at 270 ° f . ( 132 ° c .) for 3 minutes . the results of measuring hydrostatic barrier properties of the coated substrates are presented in table 3 below . the data show that hydrostatic head increases with increased levels of paraffin wax up to 40 % paraffin wax and then remains relatively level or declines . effect of paraffin wax particle size and composition on hydrostatic barrier head a paraffin wax / polyethylene emulsion blend having a particle size of 0 . 035 microns was compared to the michem me 70950 paraffin wax emulsion having a particle size of 0 . 35 microns . both were combined with airflex rb - 18 vae polymer emulsion . the results of measuring hydrostatic barrier properties of the coated substrates are presented in table 4 below . the data show that although both formulations provide good hydrostatic head barrier properties , the formulation containing paraffin wax emulsion alone was more effective than the paraffin wax / polyethylene wax combination . water vapor transmission rate on nonwoven substrate coated with pvoh protected vae and paraffin wax emulsion blend the water vapor transmission rate of a 100 % cellulose nonwoven substrate coated with a blend of airflex rb - 18 vae polymer emulsion and paraffin wax emulsion was compared to the nonwoven substrate without the coating . the test followed tappi method ( technical association of the pulp and paper industry ) t 448 entitled , “ water vapor transmission rate of sheets at standard temperatures and humidity .” the result of water loss or moisture vapor loss through the nonwoven substrates is shown in the table below :