Latex Gloves industry brief:
Latex disposable gloves are a type of gloves that are designed to protect the wearer's skin from contact with chemicals. They are usually made out of latex rubber, and are donned by medical doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who have to deal with biomedical substances during their work.
As well as providing protection against chemical hazards, this type of glove also has the advantage of being able to be put on quickly and taken off easily, while also reducing the risk of contamination for staff members who need access to an open wound or dead body in order to tend it. It is important for wearers to be aware that these types of gloves can cause allergic reactions in some people.
Latex disposable gloves consist of:
These materials are interconnected in order to create a barrier against exposure to chemicals, while also allowing the hand to be moved easily. There are two standard types of latex disposable gloves, those with a powder coating and those without. Powder-coated gloves have a coating that keeps them from sticking together when in storage and increases comfort for the wearer: these can also be known as powdered gloves. Non-powder coated gloves have no such coating, and so need to be packed separately in order to avoid sticking together.
The glove must pass certain standards if it is to be used within healthcare facilities. Latex gloves can be a life-saver. These gloves come in two main types: non-sterile and sterile. Both are designed to protect your skin from any noxious chemicals or microorganisms that may have found their way onto the surface of your object of interest for study. Non-sterile gloves are usually used in industries where there is minimal risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens and where contact with the substance on the surface is not generally expected to cause harm. However, if you are working with anything that comes directly from a human or animal, non-sterile gloves should be used instead. Examples might include working in the medical field or veterinary services.
Sterile gloves are typically worn by medical professionals during operations or by scientists who are conducting tests that could allow for cross contamination of an experiment. When working in environments where there is a chance that you could come into contact with harmful microorganisms or bloodborne pathogens, sterile gloves offer more protection than non-sterile ones do. When it comes to choosing between the two main types of gloves, factors such as sterility and permeability may play a role in your decision making process.
A sterile glove is not at risk for contamination from the outside, but it doesn't mean that you'll be able to work on surfaces that are contaminated. Contamination can result from blood, saliva or sweat on the gloves. Many medical facilities use hard plastic gloves with a rubber cuff around the wrist of the wearer so that they can be sterilized and used repeatedly while also protecting the skin of their patients. Plastic gloves should be used in addition to a single pair of non-sterile gloves whenever possible because they offer better protection than a single pair of non-sterile gloves alone.
