GLOVE SELECTION
Gloves afford hand protection by minimizing skin contact with the contaminant.
However, gloves may often mislead and provide a false sense of security. No one glove
can provide protection against all chemicals, so selecting the appropriate glove and
knowing its limitations is important.
Glove Selection Considerations
The effectiveness of a glove to protect against chemicals is based on degradation,
permeation rate and breakthrough time. Each of these properties must be evaluated to
select the correct type of glove. Glove materials are also rated relative to the type of
activity—whether you anticipate light, intermediate, or heavy direct contact with
chemicals. Glove thickness plays a role in determining breakthrough time. Reusable
gloves are generally thicker—offering more protection--than disposable. However,
dexterity diminishes with protection level, and reusable gloves are more expensive than
disposable. So select gloves based on the type of use (i.e., light/intermittent versus
heavy) and the chemical you are using. Few lab procedures call for heavy exposure,
though exceptions occur, such as chemical spill cleanups, facilities management
operations, and some special research environments.
Degradation, Permeation Rate, and Breakthrough Time
Manufacturers can provide degradation/permeation/breakthrough time charts that list the
performance characteristics of a glove material to a given chemical. Degradation is the
change in the physical characteristics of a glove caused by contact with a chemical.
Degradation may appear as swelling or shrinking, stiffening or softening, discoloration,
cracking, or having a rough or gummy surface.
Degradation tests vary with each manufacturer and it is very important to consult each
manufacturer’s glove chart. If the chemical has very little degrading effects on the glove
material, the manufacturer assigns an “Excellent” rating to the material. Accordingly,
“Good”, “Fair”, “Poor”, and “Not Recommended” ratings are assigned depending on the
degree of degradation.
The permeation rate and breakthrough time information are also provided in the glove
chart. The permeation rate refers to the speed at which a chemical penetrates the glove
material. This term is expressed in micrograms per square centimeter per unit or as
“Excellent”, “Good”, “Fair”, “Poor”, and “Not Recommended”. The breakthrough time
is the elapsed time between initial contact on the outside of the glove with a chemical to
the first detection of chemical on the inside surface.
Once a chemical has begun to diffuse into a glove, it will continue to diffuse into the
glove material even after the chemical on the surface is removed because of the
concentration gradient that develops within the protective glove. Due to this problem,
extreme caution is advised when using any chemical protective clothing that has been
exposed to highly toxic chemicals. Use disposable gloves with highly toxic chemicals.
The decision on the type of glove material to use is complicated by the variation in glove
performance among manufacturers. Chemical resistance, thickness, and length of the
glove material, dexterity and worker comfort must be considered before selecting
protective gloves.
Inspection and Maintenance of Reusable Gloves
All gloves should be inspected before and after each use, and periodically while in use.
The gloves should be examined for holes or punctures, signs of degradation, or signs of
prior contamination or breakthrough. If the integrity of the gloves is in question, replace
immediately. The outside surface of the gloves should be washed after removal and airdried in the laboratory. Disposable gloves should be changed as soon as possible after
contamination.
Major Glove Types and Uses
GLOVE TYPE
Butyl Rubber
Natural Rubber
Neoprene
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
Silver ShieldTM
4HTM
Nitrile
USE
Good for highly corrosive acids, ketones,
esters, gases;
Poor for aliphatic, aromatic hydrocarbons,
halogenated hydrocarbons, gasoline
Good for very dilute acids and bases;
Poor for organics
Good for acids and bases, peroxides, fuels,
hydrocarbons, alcohols, phenols
Poor for halogenated and aromatic
hydrocarbons
Good for acids and bases, some organics,
amines, and peroxides;
Poor for most organics
Good for aromatic and chlorinated
solvents;
Poor for water-based solutions- water
destroys the gloves!
Good for wide variety of toxic and
hazardous chemicals; provides the highest
level of chemical resistance with flexible
laminate glove;
Poor fit- comes in small, medium, large
Good resistance to many chemicals; better
dexterity than Silver ShieldTM
Good for wide variety of solvents, oils,
VitonTM
greases, some acids and bases
Exceptional resistance to chlorinated and
aromatic solvents;
Good resistance to cuts and abrasions
A few words of warning, no protective glove is totally impermeable. No one material
affords protection against all chemicals. For certain chemical mixtures, there are no
materials that will protect for more than an hour after initial contact. LATEX GLOVES
PROVIDE LITTLE TO NO CHEMICAL PROTECTION IN HEAVY USE
CONDITIONS. Consult with EH&S at extension 824-6200 if you have questions or
need further assistance.
A good website for selecting the right glove for chemical protection is:
http://www.hazmat.msu.edu:591/glove_guide/.
References:
Chemical Health and Safety, November/December 1997, American Chemical Society
and ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Personnel Protection and Safety, United States Environmental Protection and Safety,
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, Environmental Response Team
Best Gloves Manufacturing Company, 1-800-241-0323
Pioneer Gloves, 1-800-537-2897
Ansell Edmont Gloves, 1-800-800-0444
4H Glove, Safety 4, Inc., 1-888-401-0400