Understanding Factors That Influence Protective Glove Use Among Automotive Spray Painters

Abstract

Dermal contact with isocyanate-based coatings may lead to systemic respiratory sensitization. The most common isocyanates found in sprayed automotive coatings are monomeric and oligomeric 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). Most spray painters use thin (4–5 mil) latex gloves that are not effective at preventing dermal exposures when spraying isocyanate paints. Personal interviews with collision repair industry personnel and focus groups with spray painters were held to characterize risk awareness, to examine perceptions and challenges concerning protective glove use and selection, and to generate ideas for protective glove use interventions. The most popular gloves among spray painters were thin (4–5 mil) and thick (14 mil) latex. We found that medium to thick (6–8 mil) nitrile were not always perceived as comfortable and were expected to be more expensive than thin (4–5 mil) latex gloves. Of concern is the users’ difficulty to distinguish between nitrile and latex gloves; latex gloves are now sold in different colors including blue, which has traditionally been associated with nitrile gloves. Even though spray painters were familiar with the health hazards related to working with isocyanate paints; most were not always aware that dermal exposure to isocyanates could contribute to the development of occupational asthma. There is a need for more research to identify dermal materials that are protective against sprayed automotive coatings. Automotive spray painters and their employers need to be educated in the selection and use of protective gloves, specifically on attributes such as glove material, color, and thickness.

Initiating "Healthy Batik Village"/ “Desa Batik Sehat” to Empower Batik Workers Through Collaborative Health, Environmental and Social Interventions

“…Thicker gloves as in PVC gloves would decrease workers' manual dexterity and cause fatigue due to the higher muscle resistance. Thicker gloves can affect the breathability and may cause more sweat production due to a humid environment [30]. Neoprene gloves are more elastic than the PVC gloves which allows the workers to control hand movement and have less fatigue [31].…”

Effect of Respiratory Protection on Respiratory Flow Rates of Vehicle Spray Painters in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria

“…Sparer, et al [21] also stated that isocyanate when used as catalysts, hardeners in two-part polyurethane in the final "clear coat" is recognized as being of principal concern and that when these products are sprayed, the aerosolised liquids can create a significant inhalation hazard for airborne isocyanate. Though spray painters were familiar with the health hazards related to working with isocyanate paints, they may not know that the nonusage of hand gloves would lead to dermal exposure to isocyanate, which could contribute to occupational asthma as noted by Ceballos, et al [24]. Kamal and Malik [14] found that spray painting occupation had significantly higher mean corpuscle volume (MCV) and increased MCV may indicate the side effects on liver and that of pernicious anaemia [25] which may be due to an aromatic exposure in an occupational group.…”