People can use disposable medical gloves only once. You are supposed to throw or dispose of these gloves immediately after use. Advancements in glove manufacturing technology have made it quite cost-effective to produce and market disposable gloves. Today we have all kinds of disposable medical gloves using in all kinds of industries. We have supplement latex or natural rubber with other alternative materials like nitrile and vinyl. We will look at all these amazing facts about disposable safety gloves below.
Glove materials vary
Some people are not aware of the fact that there are very many glove production materials. Manufacturers produce safety gloves from several types of fabrics or materials. They include polyethylene, neoprene, and all the three aforementioned materials. The three most popular fabrics for manufacturing or producing disposable safety gloves are latex, nitrile, and vinyl. Users rank disposable nitrile gloves as the most popular safety gloves due to their superior functional attributes. For starters, these medical gloves are from a synthetic rubber material. This is far more readily available than the natural rubber in latex gloves. Medical gloves are also latex-free. This means that the wearer is safe from latex-induced skin allergies that are caused by natural rubber safety gloves. Thirdly, nitrile gloves are 3-5 times stronger, puncture-resistant, and chemical resistant than latex gloves. They offer the best protection among all three major glove types.
Safety medical gloves degrade during usage and storage
Another important thing that you might not know about disposable safety gloves is that they degrade during use and in storage. Disposable safety gloves lower their quality if not stored properly. You should also be very careful when using your safety gloves to ensure that they do not suffer any physical damages. Then, expose you to various hazards. You should always inspect your safety gloves carefully before wearing them. You ensure that they are not torn, punctured, cracked, or degraded. Some signs of degradation include changes in texture, discoloration, and loss of elasticity. You should always store your medical gloves in a cool dry place. This place put away from direct ultraviolet light and high temperatures.
Medical gloves quality depends on several factors
The quality of disposable safety medical gloves depends on several factors. They include the glove production material, the thickness of the glove, the glove manufacturing technology, storage conditions, and manufacturing compounds. We have already discussed the major differences between the three main types of glove production materials, namely latex, nitrile and vinyl. Another major concern when it comes to glove quality ids the glove thickness. Thicker gloves consume more material during production and are hence relatively more expensive. The thicker the glove, the tougher, more protective, and more durable it is.
However, some thick safety gloves might undermine the grip and the touch sensitivity of the glove. We have also discussed the effect of storage conditions on the quality and functionality of a glove. And last but not least, you should concern about the glove production technology and its manufacturing compounds. Medical gloves feature filler materials and in some cases, powder to reduce friction when wearing and removing them. These powdered gloves can cause various allergic reactions to your hands and skin and should hence be avoided.