Since discovering microorganisms, mankind is in a constant quest to save itself from the unknown enemy. Our hands are the centers of all our activity, a feature that makes them prone to get injured, lacerated, or infected.
Identifying this vulnerability of human hands, the sharp-minded people came up with the idea of covering them up with some skin-friendly material that prevents coloring, lacerations, or injury of the hand’s underlying skin. You might have commonly heard of latex gloves. Well, now there is a more advanced form, i.e., nitrile gloves. But what exactly are nitrile gloves?
Gloves
The use of gloves (made out of clothing) can be dated back to 440BC. The sole purpose back then was to protect the hands from thorny bushes and brambles. Since then, different types of gloves have evolved as man-tailored the coverings according to his needs.
Types Of Gloves
There are different varieties of gloves made to protect your hands from all sorts of hazards, including biohazard. The gloves can be broadly classified into disposable and reusable gloves.
Disposable gloves are designed for one-time use only and lose their protective qualities after a single usage.
On the other hand, reusable gloves offer more excellent protection against physical hazards and abrasions. However, you have to compromise on dexterity and touch sensitivity when using the gloves that can be used repeatedly.
Based on the materials, hand gloves are divided into:
● Latex Gloves: These types of gloves are produced from natural rubber. Provide good flexibility while working, but don’t prove to be an excellent barrier against organic chemicals.
● Nitrile Gloves: These are all-rounder gloves that offer adequate protection against splashes. Made out of the material nitrile, these are highly advanced gloves.
● Chloronite Gloves: Chloronite gloves are made out of the copolymer material choloronite combined with nitrile and neoprene. These gloves offer sufficient resistance against chemicals that too with comfort of use.
● Butyl Rubber Gloves: The rubber gloves are thick gloves that are solely aimed at dealing with corrosive chemicals. Such coverings of the hand are very thick and offer almost little flexibility.
● Standard Vinyl Gloves: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), i.e., the material used to make pipes, is employed for the manufacture of these gloves. PVC gloves are cheap but not safe to use.
● Neoprene Gloves: These gloves can be good barriers against acids and alcohols. However, aromatic hydrocarbons can damage them.
● Polyvinyl Alcohol Gloves (PVA): You get poor touch sensitivity and high thickness with PVA gloves. The gloves can do good against aromatic solvents but not against water.
Nitrile Gloves
Of all the gloves available in the market, nitrile gloves are the finest. The major reason for their wide usage and praise is their puncture and chemical resistance. ‘Nitrile gloves can be defined as :
● Recyclable
● Biodegradable
● Sterile/non-sterile
Composition Of Nitrile Gloves
As the name indicates, nitrile gloves are made of nitrile. It is an organic chemical compound extracted from rubber. The synthetic copolymer is the result of a combination of butadiene and acrylonitrile. The materials are then converted into latex rubber.
This latex then undergoes rigorous processing until nitrile compound material is created. The benefits of using nitrile gloves are given below:
Benefits Of Nitrile Gloves
- Used in a wide variety of tasks
The multiple beneficial features of the nitrile gloves allow for greater use. The black-colored gloves can be used for trade-based jobs. Mechanics and technicians can use them without any worries.
Similarly, hairdressers and tattoo artists can also make use of the potential of the gloves.
Medical professionals can also use them.
1. Best For Solvent Use (High Chemical Resistance)
The nitrile gloves are not only water-resistant but also offer good resistance to strong chemicals too. As it is processed rubber in nature, no water or chemical can penetrate it. Therefore, it is suited for solvent use.
2. Biohazard Protection
The gloves protect biohazard (penetration of microorganisms). Thus, medical professionals can use them.
3. Puncture Resistance Is High
Nitrile gloves have exceptional puncture resistance. Doctors and paramedical staff frequently suffer from hand injuries (perforations, skin staining with blood).
A study suggests that double gloving reduces the risk of these work injuries.
So, it is harder for needles to penetrate.
1. Damage Is Seen Easily
You can quickly notice that the glove is damaged and change it instead of getting hurt.
2. Incidental Splash Is No Issue
The top-notch impermeability and resistance to corrosion make it an ideal choice for accidental splashes.
3. No allergies
A study found out that nitrile gloves offer no allergy like the latex gloves and offer similar dexterity and range of motion as their latex counterparts. Therefore, nitrile gloves are effective, easy-to-use alternatives to latex gloves.
These gloves are free of BPA, latex, Phthalate, MBT, and vinyl substances.
1. Affordable
At the beginning of their production, nitrile gloves were expensive compared to latex gloves, but now they come with an affordable price tag.
2. Recyclable
The good thing is that nitrile gloves are recyclable and do not add to the earth’s plastic waste burden.
3. Biodegradable
Your pair of nitrile gloves are biodegradable. This means they will break down into natural components gradually. The time to break down may be higher than latex gloves.
Where Can You Get The Best Nitrile Gloves?
You can get the best nitrile gloves (different sizes and colors are available) here at CanGardCare.com. You can acquire all the necessary equipment to keep you and your family safe from the deadly virus.
Latex Vs. Nitrile
With the advent of affordable nitrile gloves, the competition between latex and nitrile gloves has become even more fierce. Medical professionals have long used latex, but their use is limited due to the allergy they cause. Latex comes at a lesser price than nitrile.
Nowadays, a large number of people are seen using gloves to save themselves from the viral transmission. Therefore, people do not want to compromise their health. Thus, nitrile is a better material that offers similar dexterity and touch sensitivity as latex.
The slightly higher price point of nitrile is justified owing to the non-allergic, biodegradable material it is.