Do Vinyl Gloves Protect Against Chemicals

This chemical resistance chart is for advisory use only.

Do vinyl gloves protect against chemicals.

Conditions exposure times chemical concentrations and residues may effect glove performance. Glove thickness is stated in either mils or gauge. The effect of this is two fold. One of the first synthetic rubber materials on the market was pvc or vinyl.

Cynthia weston associate dean for clinical and outreach affairs at the college of nursing at texas a m university in college station adds to the list of gloves to avoid. Cloth or other porous. A 10 gauge glove equals 10 mils or 0 010 inches. Vinyl is also not very form fitting compared to latex or nitrile giving the wearer limited dexterity and a higher chance that the glove with catch and tear.

These gloves are intended to be used only as a physical barrier against brief contact with chemicals and they need to be removed and discarded immediately after they become contaminated. Nitrile gloves have superior chemical resistance against common chemicals as well as many specialty chemicals such as water treatment chemicals or industrial cleaning compounds understanding the conditions of glove use with any type of glove the length of exposure and concentration of the chemical may determine how resistant it is. Vinyl gloves became an alternate option for people with latex allergies in the healthcare and industrial industry. It is strongly advised that on site testing of all gloves is important to determining safe usage.

Natural rubber or latex gloves are the most common type of glove used in occupational settings. Glove materials are evaluated on three criteria when exposed to chemicals. Since then vinyl gloves have been a quality choice. The drawbacks of vinyl are it offers little protection from chemicals and micro organisms but makes these gloves perfect for handling non hazardous materials and chemicals.

Thinner lighter gloves offer better touch sensitivity and flexibility while chemical resistance is sacrificed. Glove manufacturers generally state that doubling the thickness of a glove quadruples the breakthrough time of the chemical. They provide great protection for a low price and are great in low risk environments. Chemical resistant glove materials include latex leather nitrile goatskin vinyl neoprene and other manufactured materials for a variety of applications.

Nitrile chemical resistant gloves for example can provide protection from dirt.