What Are Nitrile Gloves?
Nitrile gloves are made of a synthetic material that aims to be similar to latex. With 6% of the population allergic to latex there has become a need for alternative, non-allergic, disposable gloves. Even if the wearer of the gloves isn’t allergic to latex, anyone that they come into contact with could be, which can present an issue. Nitrile gloves were developed about 15 years ago in order to rectify the allergy issue. Nitrile gloves and latex gloves have some differences but overall, they are a good alternative – in some ways they are actually superior. When it comes to chemical resistance, nitrile gloves have higher durability than latex gloves, however, when it comes to flexibility, latex has a slightly better range of motion. Nitrile is a strong material so nitrile gloves offer added protection against puncture when compared to their natural counterparts, latex gloves.
The main differences between nitrile gloves and latex gloves
The main differences between nitrile gloves and latex gloves are detailed below but overall, nitrile gloves may be the more versatile option.
What are nitrile gloves used for?
If you are using nitrile gloves for protection against corrosive chemicals, they will give a much better level of protection than latex gloves. Nitrile gloves are used in many industries including medical, automotive, dental, laboratories, aerospace, food handling, engineering and chemical manufacturing to name a few.
What types of nitrile gloves are there?
There are two main types of nitrile gloves; medical-grade nitrile gloves and industrial nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves are becoming the staple for medical use due to their high puncture resistance and they aren’t prone to causing allergic reactions. As an added bonus nitrile gloves have anti-sweat properties which makes them much more comfortable for wearing over long durations. Latex can make hands sweat so this can be distracting and uncomfortable. Industrial grade nitrile gloves are thicker and more durable. Industrial gloves are used when dealing with heavy-duty chemicals.
