Wearing protective gear is a must in the medical field for obvious reasons. Medical professionals need to be well-protected from pathogens and other contaminants that may cause allergies and infections as they are mostly exposed to bodily fluids and harmful chemicals. An important type of protective gear is the disposable medical glove that provides protection to the hands against harmful substances including medical equipment, blood borne pathogens and hazardous chemicals.

There are two major types of medical gloves available - surgical gloves and exam gloves. Each of the glove types is meant to serve a specific purpose while both aim at protecting the wearers' hands from cross-contamination. 

Surgical Gloves - These gloves are usually worn by surgeons and other supporting staff who come in direct contact with sharp tools, blood, infections and substances that could possibly cause extreme health conditions. Most of the healthcare professionals choose nitrile gloves over other types of medical gloves available on the market due to their high-puncture resistance and durability.

Exam Gloves - Healthcare professionals who work as caregivers such as physicians also need to wear gloves that protect themselves from cross-contamination during general examination and procedures. The medical exam gloves are available in latex, vinyl and nitrile with a varied thickness to choose from. For the exam gloves, it is not mandatory to look for the highest quality or thickest material.

Let us understand the characteristics of latex, vinyl and nitrile gloves.

LATEX GLOVES

• Available in powdered and powder-free varieties
• Amazing fit
• Great sensitivity to touch
• Extremely flexible
• Moderate protection
• Can cause skin allergies and irritation

 VINYL GLOVES

• Made from PVC
• Cost-effective
• Comfortable fit and soft texture
• Free from latex
• Sensitive to touch
• Adequate protection
• Not much durable

NITRILE GLOVES

• Free from protein and latex
• Highly resistant to chemicals
• Puncture-resistant
• Do not cause allergy
• Extremely durable
• High protection

 Powdered and Powder-free Medical Gloves

Latex gloves were once the only preferred choice for medical professionals. They often feature a powder coating on the surface to make putting them on and off quick and easy. However, after prolonged use the powder was observed to have caused skin irritation. It also caused respiratory problems if the wearer accidentally inhaled the powder. So, for those who have an allergy to the powder, powder-free gloves entered the market that are as durable and protective as their powdered counterparts.

Allergies to latex are common due to which healthcare practitioners avoid buying latex medical gloves. For those who do not have an allergy towards latex may develop them after frequent use. Thus, to eliminate the risk of allergens, powder-free nitrile gloves or vinyl gloves can be used as they offer a firm grip and soft feel while also being durable enough and preventing cross-contamination.

Why are Nitrile Gloves so popular?

Nitrile works soft on the skin even when worn for extended periods and glides in comfortably. The material provides improved tactility and the soft texture of these gloves enhances the grip while also reducing the surface friction considerably. Nitrile gloves are a great replacement to the latex gloves as they are very cost-effective and provide more dexterity and durability. Nitrile is also more resistant to chemicals and reduces sweat and skin irritation to a great extent. Moreover, nitrile gloves are environment-friendly as the cost of disposal of these gloves is significantly less when compared to the latex counterparts.

To conclude, it is important to select a medical glove type that suits to your specific requirements and offer the level of protection required for particular tasks. Browse for a large variety of medical gloves and other safety gloves at https://www.packagingsuppliesbymail.com/industrial-gloves

Various laws and awareness campaigns all over the world with regards to work place safety have played a huge role in making work environments all over the world a lot less dangerous and a more safe.

Disposable gloves get a major share of the credit in the increase in workplace safety industries, businesses and manufacturing plants. Most of these gloves are manufactured using latex, making these gloves more acceptable and easy to produce, but a significant number of people are allergic to latex made products and can develop rashes on the skin. 

To fight the issue of latex allergies, synthetic rubber is used to manufacture disposable gloves. To further protect from powder based allergies, these gloves are produced and sold without any powder and/or proteins inside the gloves. The strength of the gloves is an extremely important feature for safety, because users rely on its strength when working in hazardous situations.

Nitrile is the name of an extremely strong synthetic rubber made from two chemicals called - Butadiene and Acrylonitrile. The rubber made from the above mentioned chemicals is resistant to a wide range of chemicals that a person may handle working in an industry or a manufacturing plant, like petroleum jelly, liquid paraffin, xylene, oils, greases, and even certain solvents.

Nitrile Gloves have strong cuffs with a beaded design and are soft, supple. These gloves are blue in color and known as Blue Nitrile Gloves. These gloves are stronger than the normal latex made disposal gloves and are resistant to oil and chemical permeation.

PackagingSuppliesByMail.com is a leading supplier of a wide range of packaging related supplies online, including nitrile disposable gloves, available in various sizes and thicknesses, are a part of the wide inventory. Visit PackagingSuppliesByMail.com for best quality safety accessories including nitrile gloves, and make sure that all your employees are safe and your business is a safe workplace.