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Glove Materials Chart |
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Type |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Use Against |
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Cotton/fabric blend |
Absorbs perspiration, keeps objects clean |
No chemical resistance |
Non-hazardous materials, slippery surfaces, mild heat or cold. |
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Natural rubber latex. |
Low cost, good physical properties, dexterity. |
Poor vs. oils, greases, organics. Frequently imported; may be poor quality. May result in allergic reactions. |
Bases, alcohols, dilute water solutions; fair vs. aldehydes, ketones,.light irritant protection, infectious agents |
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Natural rubber blends. |
Low cost, dexterity, better chemical resistance than natural rubber vs. some chemicals. |
Physical properties frequently inferior to natural rubber. May result in allergic reaction. |
Same as natural rubber. |
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Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
Low cost, very good physical properties, medium cost, medium chemical resistance |
Plasticizers can be stripped; frequently imported may be poor quality |
Strong acids and bases, salts, other water solutions, alcohols, oils, greases and petroleum products. |
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Neoprene |
Medium cost, medium chemical resistance, medium physical properties, high tensile strength and heat resistance |
None determined. |
Oxidizing acids, anilines, phenol, glycol ethers, solvents oils, mild corrosives. |
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Nitrile |
Low cost, excellent physical properties, dexterity |
Poor vs. benzene, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, many ketones |
Oils, greases, aliphatic chemicals, xylene, perchloroethylene, trichloroethane; fair vs. toluene |
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Butyl |
Speciality glove, polar organics, high resistance to gas and water vapor. |
Expensive, poor vs. hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents |
Glycol ethers, ketones, esters |
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Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) |
Specialty glove, resists a very broad range of organics, good physical properties |
Very expensive, water sensitive, poor vs. light alcohols |
Aliphatics, aromatics, chlorinated solvents, ketones (except acetone), esters, ethers |
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Fluoro- elastomer (Viton) ® |
Specialty glove, organic chlorinated and aromatic solvents. Flexible. |
Extremely expensive, poor physical properties, poor vs. some ketones, esters, amines |
Aromatics, chlorinated solvents, also aliphatics and alcohols
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Norfoil, Silver Shield®, 4H® |
Excellent chemical resistance |
Poor fit, stiff, easily punctures, poor grip |
Use for Hazmat work |
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Zetex® |
Good heat resistance |
Poor grip, stiff. |
Replace asbestos gloves |
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Leather |
Good skin abrasion protection. Good grip. |
Absorb chemical contaminants. |
Injuries from sparks or scraping against rough surfaces. Used in combination with an insulated liner when working with electricity. |
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Metal mesh |
Specialty glove. Protects against cuts when working with sharp tools. |
Expensive. Some models may reduce ability to grip. |
Protect hands form accidental cuts and scratches. Special micro-mesh versions available for use in high hazard surgery. |
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Aluminized |
Specialty glove. Heat resistance |
Poor grip, discomfort. Poor chemical resistance. |
Insulate hands from intense heat working molten materials. |
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Glove Chemical Resistance Chart Vocabulary |
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Breakthrough Time: The elapsed time between initial contact of the chemical on the glove surface and the analytical detection on the inside of the glove. Typically expressed as a greater than symbol (>), the shows the test was run for 480 minutes and then stopped. Also may be expressed as "ND" for none detected
Degradation: A change in one or more of the physical properties of a glove due to contact with a chemical. Can appear as a swelling, shrinkage or cracking of the material. Rating example is "E" for excellent, meaning the glove has little or no signs of degradation when exposed to the challenge chemical. A good degradation rating does not guarantee an acceptable breakthrough time.
Permeation Rate: The rate at which a chemical passes through a glove material. The process involves absorption on the glove surface, diffusion of the chemical through the material, and desorption on the inside surface of the glove. This is a complex measurement (µg/cm2/MIN (micrograms per square centimeter per minute). This measurement is also limited to the "LDL" or Lower Detection Limit of the equipment used. The example given is .001, but is sometimes expressed as "E" or "P" for excellent or poor. Example: |
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Glove Material |
Challenge Chemical |
Degradation |
Breakthrough Time |
Permeation Rate |
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Nitrile |
Isopropanol |
E |
>480 min. |
.001 |
