When choosing your chemical resistant gloves there are several factors to consider:
First you must identify what chemicals are being used as well as the chemical concentration, temperature, expected frequency and duration of contact your hands will have with the chemical and what level of dexterity and grip you require for the task. Whether your gloved hands are being completely submerged in the chemical or just at risk of splashes makes a difference to the requirements.
You should also think about other workplace conditions that may impact the gloves performance – for example, damage to the glove such as tears or punctures obviously means it not going to protect your skin from chemicals… A chemical resistant glove that tears easily would not be a good choice if you are working with sharp tools.
Testing Chemical Resistance:
Chemical resistant gloves undergo thorough permeation and degradation testing to determine the level of protection.
Permeation is the process of chemicals moving through a material without the presence of any visible holes or openings. Think of how a balloon slowly deflated over time even when there is no obvious hole or damage… This is called gas permeation.
Degradation is how the glove material breaks down or changes when it comes into contact with different chemicals. Certain materials may break or tear, become stiff or softer and weaker, or even expand in size! If the physical properties of the glove are affected by contact with chemicals, then then chemical resistance properties are also impacted.
The new EN374-1:2016 standard includes 6 new chemicals and updated testing methods. There are now three levels of chemical resistance:
Type A = high resistance
Type B = medium resistance
Type C = lowest resistance
To achieve any level of chemical resistance, a glove must pass the air leak, water leak and permeation tests. Whether the glove is Type A, B or C , is determined by the number of chemicals it can resist for a set period of time, e.g Type A gloves will resist at least 6 chemicals from the below list for at least 30 mins (level 2). The 6 chemicals are displayed below the pictogram as their letter code.
All of our chemical resistant gloves have passed through air, water, permeation and degradation testing.
Best materials for chemical resistant gloves:
Neoprene: Developed by DuPont® as an oil resistant substitute for Natural Rubber. Neoprene is resistant to a very broad range of oils, acids, caustics and solvents, but is less resistant to cuts, punctures and abrasion than Natural Rubber or Nitrile.
Butyl: Butyl rubber provides excellent resistance to highly corrosive acids and is excellent for handling ketones and esters. The synthetic rubber also provides the highest permeation resistance to gases and water vapours. Butyl does not offer the physical strength of Natural Rubber.
PVC: PVC is a synthetic thermoplastic polymer that provides excellent economical resistance to many oils and chemicals. Also provides good abrasion resistance. Not recommended for handling ketones and any other types of solvents.
Nitrile (Synthetic Rubber): Is a synthetic rubber that provides excellent protection against hazardous chemicals, solvents, oils and animal fats. It also provides excellent resistance to abrasion, snags, punctures and cuts. Nitrile gloves have better abrasion and cut resistance than Natural Rubber and PVC gloves. Our Nitrile gloves are USFDA compliant.
It’s important to inspect your chemical resistant gloves before each use to ensure there is no damage such as discolouration, swelling, shrinking or cracking of the material – any physical changes mean the glove cannot provide the right protection.
Remember, even gloves with the highest level of chemical resistance will break down eventually after repeated use with chemicals.
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