Nitrile Gloves

Nitrile gloves: Disposable medical gloves for the highest demands

Examination gloves made of nitrile are true all-rounders: they are hard-wearing, offer excellent protection against viruses and chemicals and are extremely comfortable to wear. Another advantage in comparison to other medical gloves is that they are latex free and contain no allergenic substances. This makes them the ideal alternative to latex gloves. Due to their special material properties, they are now used not only in the medical field, but also in restaurants, the food industry or for body-related services.

What exactly is nitrile?

Nitrile is short for nitrile rubber. This is a chemical product also known as acrylonitrile butadiene rubber. For its production, polymer molecules made from acrylonitrile and 1,3-butadiene are combined. The resulting material is one of the elastomers, a subgroup of plastics. The first nitrile rubber was developed in 1930 by the chemical company I.G. Farben, in Frankfurt.

Material properties of nitrile

• elastic
• tear-resistant
• resistant to numerous substances (alcohols, oils & fats, alkalis and diluted acids, aliphatic hydrocarbons)
• resistant to viruses
• heat-resistant up to 80 °C

Powdered versus powder-free nitrile gloves

The powdering of disposable gloves plays a decisive role both for allergy sufferers and for the area of application. The advantage of powdered gloves ist that they are easier to put on and take off, especially if your hands are wet. On the contrary, there are numerous health disadvantages. The reason: When putting on and taking off, the smallest components of the powder can become loose, which can then be swirled with the air and, when inhaled, can lead to irritation of the mucous membranes and respiratory tract. Especially in the case of powdered latex gloves, this can pose an increased health risk for allergy sufferers, since the finest latex proteins adhere to the powder and can be inhaled with it. In the worst case, this can lead to an anaphylactic shock.

A comparison of disposable medical gloves

For this reason, wearing powdered latex gloves is prohibited for all applications on patients. In addition, powdered gloves, regardless of whether they are made of nitrile, latex or vinyl, should be avoided in the operating theatre. Due to the uncontrolled turbulence in the air, these particles can contaminate wounds and lead to postoperative surgical site infections (SSI). Wearing powdered disposable gloves in the food industry and in the catering trade is strictly prohibited, as the fine powder can settle on food and thus contaminate it.

Polymer coating, chlorination or both?

When choosing the right glove, not only the material plays a role in your decision making. There are different processes in the manufacturing of nitrile gloves that affect comfort, skin tolerance and the risk of allergies. In principle, every disposable glove, whether made of latex, vinyl or nitrile, is powdered. This is due to the identical manufacturing process: each glove is made on the basis of a ceramic hand model. The ceramic model is powdered with corn starch and dipped into a bath of liquid nitrile, latex or vinyl. The corn starch makes sure that the glove will be easier to remove from the mold when dry. If the disposable glove is not treated any further, the corn starch sticks to it, so that the glove is powdered. Depending on the type of manufacture, a choice can be made between the following models:

• polymer-coated nitrile gloves (+ light chlorination to activate the polymer layer)
• chlorinated nitrile gloves
• double chlorinated nitrile gloves
• polymer-coated and chlorinated nitrile gloves

Polymer-coated nitrile gloves

A polymer coating helps to minimise the potential risk of allergies. The internal coating creates a barrier between the glove and the skin, preventing direct contact. After the glove has been immersed in a polymer bath, it is washed out in a light chlorine solution. This washes out any additional chemical residues that have been used in the manufacturing process. At the same time, the inside of the glove becomes smoother, making it more comfortable to wear. The subsequent chlorination is also called offline chlorination. Since nitrile gloves are already inherently latex-free due to their material properties and bring a low allergy risk as well as very good skin compatibility with them, additional polymer coatings are rather rare.

Chlorinated nitrile gloves

Chlorinated disposable gloves are smoother, softer and more pliable. However, chlorination not only serves the purpose to make the gloves more comfortable to wear: it also eliminates powder residues and achieves a neutral pH value. This makes chlorinated nitrile gloves much more skin-friendly and reduces the risk of allergy. Since the chlorination takes place “on the production line”, i.e. during the manufacturing process, this is also referred to as on-line chlorination.

Double chlorinated nitrile gloves

With double chlorination, the inside of the disposable glove is even smoother. This makes the nitrile gloves even easier to put on. At the same time, additional chemical residues can be washed out even more thoroughly.

Polymer coated & chlorinated nitrile gloves

The holy grail of disposable gloves: polymer-coated and chlorinated nitrile gloves. They combine the respective product properties with each other, resulting in a maximally skin-friendly, low-allergy and smooth examination glove. The special feature of chlorination: it is not only used for the inside of the glove, but also on the outside. As a result, it is perceived especially by patients, for example during washing, as very pleasant and soft.

Sterility

Sterile examination gloves are mandatory for all activities where contact with germs may occur. Sterile nitrile gloves, like the latex alternative, have a very good tactile feeling and offer an extremely secure grip due to the roughened fingertips. Due to the different stretch behaviour, sterile nitrile gloves should be worn half a size larger for examinations involving contact with bodily fluids. Non-sterile nitrile gloves are used for activities that do not require handling infection-sensitive materials. Here they are usually used for self-protection of the staff, for example from irritating chemicals or for hygienic reasons.

Nitrile disposable glove for the medical sector

Medical protective gloves are subject to the Medical Devices Act in Germany (Medizinproduktgesetz - MPG) and need to have the appropriate certification. Nitrile gloves to be used for medical purposes must comply with the EU standard 455, EN 455 for short. The standard guarantees that the following essential product characteristics are fulfilled:

Buy nitrile gloves online at the DocCheck Shop

Are you looking for an alternative to conventional latex gloves? Inexpensive and material-resistant – these are the properties that now make nitrile gloves an excellent alternative to latex gloves. This is good news for allergy sufferers in particular. Whether because of the material properties or due to a latex allergy: latex-free nitrile gloves from the DocCheck Shop are a high-quality alternative to latex products. If you wish to buy nitrile examination gloves, you will find here a lavish assortment of high-quality, latex-free examination gloves.

Don’t forget skin care!

Even though nitrile gloves are particularly skin-friendly, long periods of wear can stress the skin through perspiration and heat build-up. In order to be able to protect the skin’s skiin proactively and accelerate the generation, you will find the best skin protection cream in our shop.