Disposable gloves are an essential item in any healthcare environment. They not only protect healthcare providers and patients from exposure to potentially dangerous microbes, they also help set a precedent of hygiene and care across the industry. While this shouldn&#;t come as a surprise, what you might not have realized is that disposable gloves aren&#;t all created equal.
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Different materials and design choices make certain products better suited for different medical environments. And if you order the wrong type of glove for your practice, you may end up wasting resources and increasing the risk of punctures, rips, and tears.
Disposable gloves are generally made from one of three materials: nitrile, latex, or vinyl. In this blog, we&#;ll explore what makes these gloves different from each other, as well as offer guidance into which environments each type is best suited for.
Latex gloves
For decades, latex has been the rockstar of the medical disposable glove world. This is because, as noted by Darwin Brown in Physician Assistant, latex gloves were recommended protection in the s and s against bloodborne pathogens like HIV. But as their popularity increased, so did cases of allergic reactions. This led to more demand for latex-free disposable glove alternatives, like nitrile and vinyl. For those who aren&#;t allergic, latex gloves are comfortable, relatively cost-effective, and offer a high degree of touch sensitivity.
With high levels of flexibility, protection, and comfort, disposable latex gloves are suitable for most medical environments -- as long as latex allergies are not an issue.
Vinyl gloves
Vinyl gloves are made from PVC, a petroleum-based film. The primary benefit of vinyl disposable gloves is that they&#;re inexpensive to manufacture. That being said, they are less durable than latex and nitrile, and they offer limited protection against chemical or biomedical exposure. When vinyl gloves are stretched or flexed, the individual molecules separate and the integrity of the protective barrier is compromised. Vinyl gloves have also raised a red flag in terms of their environmental impact, as noted by Health & Safety International.
Due to their low cost and low protection levels, vinyl gloves are commonly used in non-hazardous and low-infection environments.
Nitrile gloves
Nitrile gloves came to prominence in the s as a leading latex alternative. While they&#;re not as elastic or flexible as their latex counterparts, disposable nitrile gloves are notably more durable and resistant to chemicals. As such, these gloves are the ideal choice for anyone who has to handle potentially hazardous and corrosive chemicals. They are also perfectly suited for most medical environments, being exceptionally puncture-resistant and eliminating the risk of latex allergy reactions.
Understanding these key differences will help you make the right decision when selecting new exam gloves for your organization&#;s unique medical environment. Ventyv® provides a wide variety of disposable nitrile and latex gloves for a multitude of uses and needs. Our gloves provide the strength and barrier protection needed to Outsmart Infection®.
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Vinyl Gloves
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Vinyl is the most lightweight of the three disposable glove types. As such, vinyl gloves are the most widely available and cost-effective option but aren&#;t suitable for high-risk tasks involving a more significant infection or injury risk.
Vinyl gloves won&#;t stand up to long periods of wear. They are usually more loose-fitting than nitrile or latex gloves that need to offer a close fit. Made from polyvinyl chloride, otherwise known as PVC, vinyl gloves are best suited to cleaning operations and other tasks that don&#;t involve any corrosive chemicals but where the extra degree of barrier protection helps to keep hygiene levels high and protect the skin on the hands from repeated exposure to substances and actions that dry it out.
The difference between nitrile, latex, and vinyl gloves is usually in the degree of protection needed. Nitrile gloves are required when handling sodium hydroxide in a lab to protect against the risk of spillage. However, using nitrile gloves when preparing sandwiches in a commercial kitchen could be considered overkill. Staff could get through several pairs of gloves in a day in the kitchen, which could become an expensive investment for the business owner. Using vinyl gloves would be far more cost-effective and fulfil the purpose of protecting the food from skin contact.
Blue vinyl gloves should be used in food prep environments under HSE guidance to minimise the risk of food contamination. While vinyl gloves are an excellent solution for various food prep tasks, they are not approved for handling fatty foods. This is because phthalate plasticisers are not chemically bound to the PVC from which vinyl gloves are made and can evaporate into the fatty foods and become soluble. In this case, nitrile gloves are recommended.
Vinyl is anti-static and protects against shocks and chafing when stripping back sheaths on cords and wires, so vinyl gloves are well suited to some electricians&#; work.
Where are vinyl gloves used?
Cleaning (without highly corrosive chemicals)
Food preparation (apart from fatty foods)
Hairdressing to protect hands from chemicals and repeated exposure to water
Painting and DIY
Working with wires and cords
When comparing vinyl vs latex vs nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves are the best short-term solution in a wide range of cases. Generally, vinyl gloves are a cheap and easy option when you need temporary protection for a low-risk job. Vinyl gloves can protect from low-level hazards, maintain good levels of hygiene, minimise cross-contamination, and make certain jobs more tolerable by protecting the skin on the hands from contact.
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