Chemical Protective Glove Materials

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Article Title:

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Chemical Protective Glove Materials

Article Description:

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Chemical protective gloves come in a variety of materials.

Unfortunately, no one material will work for all situations, so

it's important to know what the materials are and their uses and

limitations. What follows is a summary of chemical protective

glove materials.

Additional Article Information:

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Distribution Date and Time: 2009-07-08 12:12:00

Written By: Rathi Niyogi

Copyright: 2009

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Chemical Protective Glove Materials

Copyright © 2009 Rathi Niyogi

CriticalTool, Inc.

http://www.criticaltool.com/

Chemical protective gloves come in a variety of materials.

Unfortunately, no one material will work for all situations, so

it's important to know what the materials are and their uses and

limitations. What follows is a summary of chemical protective

glove materials.

Glove Materials

* Butyl is a synthetic rubber. Butyl rubber gloves generally

have good resistance to a wide variety of chemicals, including

aldehydes, ketones, and esters. They also are more wear resistant

than other chemical protective gloves. Butyl gloves are generally

more expensive than other glove materials.

* Rubber (also called latex) is made from liquid obtained from

rubber plants. Natural rubber gloves are elastic and resilient.

They resist acids, alkalis, salts, and ketones but generally have

minimal chemical resistance to other substances; however, when

combined with other materials, it is used in a broad range of

applications. Natural rubber gloves are often used as exam gloves

in the health care industry and find use in food processing,

electronics assembly, and laboratory chemical handling. Because

of the potential for latex allergy, which can be life

threatening, latex gloves are not used as widely as they once

were.

* Neoprene is a synthetic rubber. Neoprene gloves have chemical-

and wear-resistance properties superior to those of latex

(natural rubber) gloves. Neoprene gloves are resistant to acids,

caustics, alcohols, inks, refrigerants, ketones, oils, fats,

grease, fertilizers, cleaners, and detergent. They find use in

the petrochemical industry, degreasing, chemical processing,

metal finishing, mechanical work, painting, bleaching, and

commercial dishwashing.

* Nitrile (also referred to as NBR or acrylonitrile) is a

copolymer. Nitrile gloves are puncture and abrasion resistant.

Nitrile gloves also provide excellent, wide-range chemical

protection from a variety of substances, including petroleum

solvents, caustics, and animal fats. They find use in chemical

and food processing, stripping and degreasing, motor and engine

manufacturing, machine operation using cutting oils and coolants,

electronics, and acid etching.

* Vinyl gloves are gloves made from polymers. The two most

common are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

Polyvinyl alcohol is a water soluble polymer that is resistant to

organic solvents that can rapidly permeate most rubbers. Because

it is water soluble, PVA is often used as a coating or blended

with other materials when used in gloves. Polyvinyl chloride is a

stiff polymer. In order to make it suitable for use in chemical

protective gloves, plasticizers are added. Vinyl gloves resist

acids and alcohols but not petroleum solvents. They are less

costly than natural rubber latex gloves and so are often used as

a substitute for latex gloves. Vinyl gloves are used in

industrial and food processing applications, intricate assembly

work, laboratory research, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

* Viton® is a registered trademark of DuPont for a synthetic

elastomer. Gloves made from Viton are highly chemical-resistant,

particularly to chlorinated and aromatic organic solvents. Viton

gloves tend to be more expensive than those made from other

materials.

* Laminate gloves are gloves that are made from a combination of

materials. Laminate gloves combine materials in order to increase

the usability of the glove either over a wider range of chemicals

or for harsher environments (hazardous waste cleanup, for

example). Even more so than single material gloves, the

performance of laminate gloves are manufacturer-specific, and the

manufacturer's literature on the glove should be consulted to

determine the glove's performance capabilities.

A Word About Disposable Versus Reusable Glove

Some gloves are disposable, and some are reusable. The difference

in reusable versus disposable is not necessarily the material

it's made from; it's more about chemical resistance, wear

resistance, and thickness. Disposable gloves are thin, single-use

glove that are generally 4 to 8 mils thick (a mil is 0.001 inch)

- a good example of a disposable glove is exam gloves used in

health care settings. Reusable gloves are thicker - 18 to 28 mils

thick. (To determine the thickness of a glove, check the

manufacturer's specifications on the glove. It will either tell

you the thickness or indicate whether the glove is disposable or

reusable.)

Disposable gloves are not suitable for handling aggressive or

highly hazardous chemicals. Disposable gloves do provide barrier

protection where contact with chemicals is not likely, for

example, in food processing or where the issue is dirt or

prevention of human-produced contamination (as is necessary in

clean rooms or health care). Disposable gloves do not hold up

well to cleaning and should not be washed and reused.

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Rathi Niyogi is the CEO of CriticalTool, a national distributor

(http://www.criticaltool.com/disposable-nitrile-gloves.html)

of Nitrile Gloves and other industrial safety equipment.

If you thought this article was helpful, additional

information on chemical resistant gloves can be found at

http://www.criticaltool.com/choosing-a-chemical-protective-glove.html