A Breakthrough Time Comparison of Nitrile and Neoprene Glove Materials Produced by Different Glove Manufacturers

Abstract

Specimens of similar nominal thickness from commercially available nitrile and neoprene gloves were each tested for breakthrough time against three chemicals. The null hypothesis was that the breakthrough times for the glove specimens of the same generic type but produced by different manufacturers would be the same. Breakthrough time data for each material/chemical combination were analyzed using an analysis of covariance to adjust for differences in the measured specimen thickness while testing for product differences. A significant difference in chemical breakthrough times was found among generically similar products produced by different manufacturers. The largest difference between the mean breakthrough time of two generically equivalent products, 30 vs. 300 min, was obtained for perchloroethylene through nitrile products. In conclusion, breakthrough time data for use in selection of chemical protective clothing or in prediction modeling for chemical protective clothing should be manufacturer and product specific.

Chemical Resistance of Disposable Nitrile Gloves Exposed to Simulated Movement

“…The average SSPRs ranged from 3.2 (Glove 3) to 25 μg/cm 2 /min (Glove 11), a difference of about eight times. Mickelsen and Hall (12) reported similar discrepancies with BTs, up to 10-fold differences, between thicker nitrile glove products exposed to perchloroethylene. Similarly, Phalen et al (10) discovered up to a 12-fold difference in NBT between disposable nitrile glove products exposed to the pesticide captan.…”

“…(8,9) Additional studies have indicated that polymer content and product variability can account for a significant portion of the variation. (10–12) More research is needed to assess the influence of glove composition and whole-glove movement on the permeation of chemicals through gloves.…”

A Critique of Assumptions About Selecting Chemical-Resistant Gloves: A Case for Workplace Evaluation of Glove Efficacy

“…Mickelsen and Hall demonstrated a tenfold difference in protection factors for generically equivalent gloves from different manufacturers. (36) Differences in raw materials, their content in the nished product, and the degree of cross-bonding may account for these differences. This is seen even in lot-to-lot variation from the same manufacturer, presumably due to insuf cient quality control.…”

Mixed exposures research agenda - a report by the NORA Mixed Exposures Team.

“…Studies on chemical protective clothing have indicated that breakthrough times at one contaminant concentration of a mixture is not predictive of the service lives of the clothing when different concentrations of the component are present. Also, studies of chemical mixtures on biological and chemi-cal protective clothing can show a synergistic effect on breakthrough times [Mickelsen and Hall 1987;Mickelson et al 1986].…”