Rubber glove

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A latex glove PVC-Handschuh.jpg
A latex glove

A rubber glove is a glove made out of natural rubber or Synthetic rubber. The term 'rubber' refers to durable, waterproof and elastic material made from natural or synthetic latex. [1] Rubber gloves can be unsupported (rubber only) or supported (rubber coating of textile glove). Its primary purpose is protection of the hands while performing tasks involving chemicals. Rubber gloves can be worn during dishwashing to protect the hands from detergent and allow the use of hotter water. Sometimes caregivers will use rubber gloves during the diaper changing process to prevent contact with the child's fecal material/urine. Health professionals use medical gloves rather than rubber gloves when performing surgical operations.

Contents

Origin

In 1894, William Stewart Halsted, the first chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, invented rubber gloves for his wife Caroline Hampton as he noticed her hands were affected on the daily surgeries she had performed and in order to prevent medical staff from developing dermatitis from surgical chemicals. [2] [3] [4] However, the first modern disposable glove was invented by Ansell Rubber Co. Pty. Ltd. in 1965. [5] [6] [7]

Household use

A disposable nitrile rubber glove Disposable nitrile glove.jpg
A disposable nitrile rubber glove

Household rubber gloves have been used for washing dishes and cleaning in the home since the 1960s. Many different designs of gloves have been available in a multitude of colors but traditional designs are yellow or pink with long cuffs. While these still remain the most popular patterns today, gloves can be obtained that range from wrist-length to those that are shoulder-length. There are even gloves that are pre-attached to shirts and bodysuits for added protection.[ citation needed ]

Rubber gloves are best worn with a skin tight fit which, while still allowing for the hands to breathe, makes it easier to hold objects and manipulate them. The palms and fingers usually have a raised pattern which helps provide a good grip when handling objects. Wearing gloves protects the hands from harsh detergents and other cleaning products which are used in the home and elsewhere.

These gloves are traditionally used by people cleaning in the home and are popular with professional cleaners and for clearing up in shops, cafes and other public places.[ citation needed ] The thickness of the gloves and the long cuffs provide excellent protection for all general cleaning tasks and are useful for all chores where the hands need to be put into water, and provide protection when vacuuming, dusting, and polishing.

The most common material used for making household gloves is latex, a form of rubber. Usually, the gloves have a cotton "flock" lining for easily taking them on and off. They are available in a wider range of colors and cuff lengths. Problems with latex rubber include allergic reactions and poor protection against such substances as solvents. Other materials used to alleviate this are PVC, nitrile, and neoprene. Natural rubber that has been chemically treated to reduce the amount of antibody generators, such as Vytex Natural Rubber Latex, can be used to produce a glove that retains the properties of traditional rubber while exposing the user to significantly reduced amounts of latex allergens.[ citation needed ]

Gloves are used in the Foodservice Industry for minimizing contact with ready to eat foods. Generally, foodservice employees are required to wash hands before starting work or putting on single-use gloves. Due to the incidence of latex allergies, many people switch to vinyl or nitrile gloves.[ citation needed ] Poly gloves are a very inexpensive alternative. Latex, Vinyl and Nitrile gloves are available in powder and powder-free varieties. The powder in the gloves are made of USDA cornstarch. Powder-free gloves are generally more expensive than powdered gloves because gloves must be powdered to be removed from the mold they are made on. The majority of disposable gloves are manufactured in China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Disposable gloves are sometimes used in childcare during the diapering/ toileting process to protect the caregiver from coming in contact with the child's fecal material/urine. Fecal matter in particular as it is known to carry many diseases. Many caregivers use gloves while touching the child's buttocks or genitals when wiping or applying creams. These gloves are made of latex, vinyl or nitrile.

Use to hide fingerprints

Criminals sometimes wear gloves while committing crimes in order to avoid leaving fingerprints, which can be used as evidence against them. When thin gloves are used, however, fingerprints may actually pass through as glove prints, thus transferring the wearers' prints onto surfaces. [8] [ better source needed ] [9] [ better source needed ] Fingerprints are also left on the glove itself, and it is possible to develop latent fingerprints from gloves left at or near the scene of a crime. [10] [11] The sex of the person wearing the glove can be accurately determined from a glove print. [12]

Limitations

Karen Wetterhahn was killed by mercury poisoning after a few drops of dimethylmercury landed on her glove during an experiment. Tests later showed that dimethylmercury, a small apolar molecule, can rapidly permeate different kinds of latex gloves and enter the skin within about 15 seconds. [13] [14] Wetterhahn's death led to much greater awareness of the problems of glove porosity in chemical safety, leading to mandates for the use of plastic-laminate gloves (SilverShield) for handling dimethylmercury [15] and produced a lasting and significant improvement in laboratory safety. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural rubber</span> Polymer harvested from certain trees

Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, caucho, or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia are four of the leading rubber producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fingerprint</span> Biometric identifier

A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfaces such as glass or metal. Deliberate impressions of entire fingerprints can be obtained by ink or other substances transferred from the peaks of friction ridges on the skin to a smooth surface such as paper. Fingerprint records normally contain impressions from the pad on the last joint of fingers and thumbs, though fingerprint cards also typically record portions of lower joint areas of the fingers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dental dam</span> A thin, rectangular sheet used in dentistry to isolate the operative site

A dental dam or rubber dam is a thin, 6-inch (150 mm) square sheet, usually latex or nitrile, used in dentistry to isolate the operative site from the rest of the mouth. Sometimes termed "Kofferdam", it was designed in the United States in 1864 by Sanford Christie Barnum. It is used mainly in endodontic, fixed prosthodontic and general restorative treatments. Its purpose is both to prevent saliva interfering with the dental work, and to prevent instruments and materials from being inhaled, swallowed or damaging the mouth. In dentistry, use of a rubber dam is sometimes referred to as isolation or moisture control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glove</span> Covering worn on the hand

A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a guard for what a bare hand should not touch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby bottle</span> Bottle containing liquid (usually milk or formula) to nourish infant

A baby bottle, nursing bottle, or feeding bottle is a bottle with a teat attached to it, which creates the ability to drink via suckling. It is typically used by infants and young children, or if someone cannot drink from a cup, for feeding oneself or being fed. It can also be used to feed non-human mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry suit</span> Watertight clothing that seals the wearer from cold and hazardous liquids

A dry suit or drysuit provides the wearer with environmental protection by way of thermal insulation and exclusion of water, and is worn by divers, boaters, water sports enthusiasts, and others who work or play in or near cold or contaminated water. A dry suit normally protects the whole body except the head, hands, and possibly the feet. In hazmat configurations, however, all of these are covered as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operating theater</span> A room in a hospital in which surgeries are performed

An operating theater is a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out in an aseptic environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimethylmercury</span> Organomercury chemical compound

Dimethylmercury is an extremely toxic organomercury compound with the formula (CH3)2Hg. A volatile, flammable, dense and colorless liquid, dimethylmercury is one of the strongest known neurotoxins. Less than 0.1 mL is capable of inducing severe mercury poisoning resulting in death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical glove</span> Single-use glove worn during medical examinations and procedures

Medical gloves are disposable gloves used during medical examinations and procedures to help prevent cross-contamination between caregivers and patients. Medical gloves are made of different polymers including latex, nitrile rubber, polyvinyl chloride and neoprene; they come unpowdered, or powdered with corn starch to lubricate the gloves, making them easier to put on the hands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazmat suit</span> Protective suit against chemical, bacteriological, and nuclear risks

A hazmat suit is a piece of personal protective equipment that consists of an impermeable whole-body garment worn as protection against hazardous materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Wetterhahn</span> American chemist (1948–1997)

Karen Elizabeth Wetterhahn, also known as Karen Wetterhahn Jennette, was an American professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, who specialized in toxic metal exposure. She died of mercury poisoning at the age of 48 due to accidental exposure to the extremely toxic organic mercury compound dimethylmercury. Protective gloves in use at the time of the incident provided insufficient protection, and exposure to only a few drops of the chemical absorbed through the gloves proved to be fatal after less than a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asepsis</span> Absence of disease-causing microorganisms

Asepsis is the state of being free from disease-causing micro-organisms. There are two categories of asepsis: medical and surgical. The modern day notion of asepsis is derived from the older antiseptic techniques, a shift initiated by different individuals in the 19th century who introduced practices such as the sterilizing of surgical tools and the wearing of surgical gloves during operations. The goal of asepsis is to eliminate infection, not to achieve sterility. Ideally, a surgical field is sterile, meaning it is free of all biological contaminants, not just those that can cause disease, putrefaction, or fermentation. Even in an aseptic state, a condition of sterile inflammation may develop. The term often refers to those practices used to promote or induce asepsis in an operative field of surgery or medicine to prevent infection.

Nitrile rubber, also known as nitrile butadiene rubber, NBR, Buna-N, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, is a synthetic rubber derived from acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene. Trade names include Perbunan, Nipol, Krynac and Europrene. This rubber is unusual in being resistant to oil, fuel, and other chemicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fingerprint powder</span> Chemical compound used to lift fingerprints from surfaces

Fingerprint powders are fine powders used, in conjunction with fingerprint brushes, by crime scene investigators and other law enforcement personnel to search for and enhance latent/invisible fingerprints that can be used to determine identification. This method of fingerprint development commonly referred to as dusting for fingerprints, involves the adherence of the powder particles to the moisture and sweat secretions deposited on to surfaces by the raised ridges on fingers, palms, or soles of feet designed for grip, called friction ridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latex</span> Stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium

Latex is an emulsion of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disposable food packaging</span>

Disposable food packaging comprises disposable products often found in fast-food restaurants, take-out restaurants and catering establishments. Typical products are foam food containers, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, doilies and tray papers. These products can be made from a number of materials including plastics, paper, bioresins, wood and bamboo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glove prints</span> Mark left on a surface by a worn glove

Glove prints, also sometimes described as gloveprints or glove marks, are latent, fingerprint-like impressions that are transferred to a surface or object by an individual who is wearing gloves.

Ansell is an Australian company which manufactures protective industrial equipment and medical gloves. It was originally known as a condom manufacturer but sold that division in 2017.

Mercator Medical S.A. – is a Polish company established in 1996 in Kraków, involved in the manufacture of disposable personal protective equipment for medical purposes and surgical drapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical gown</span> Type of personal protective equipment worn by medical professionals

Medical gowns are hospital gowns worn by medical professionals as personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to provide a barrier between patient and professional. Whereas patient gowns are flimsy often with exposed backs and arms, PPE gowns, as seen below in the cardiac surgeon photograph, cover most of the exposed skin surfaces of the professional medics.

References

  1. Gillespie, Donald. "Latex vs Rubber Gloves: What is the difference? | Unigloves". info.unigloves.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  2. Born in the USA: The Book of American Origins . Skyhorse Publishing Inc. 2009. p.  186. William Halsted and rubber gloves.
  3. "Rubber Gloves: "Born" - and Now Banished - At Johns Hopkins - 01/14/2008". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  4. Leyden, John G. (27 November 1990). "The Strange Story of Surgical Gloves". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  5. Brown, Walter (12 December 2016). "The History of Disposable Gloves". AMMEX. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  6. "Ansell - Our history". www.ansell.com. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  7. ,"Surgeon's glove having improved donning properties",issued 1995-04-17
  8. "Do latex gloves conceal fingerprints? If so, Why? | ChaCha". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2012. Do latex gloves conceal fingerprints? If so, Why?
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20090522102440/http://scienceman.org/Archives/forensics/perident.html Personal Identification: Fingerprints
  10. "Latent Fingerprints on Latex Gloves – Iowa Division of the International Association for Identification" . Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  11. "Developing Latent Prints from Gloves". www.crime-scene-investigator.net. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  12. Paulis, Melad G. (29 November 2019). "What can glove impression evidence reveal about assailants? A pilot study". Forensic Sciences Research. 7 (1): 29–39. doi: 10.1080/20961790.2019.1684642 . ISSN   2096-1790. PMC   8942492 . PMID   35341130.
  13. Cotton, Simon (October 2003). "Dimethylmercury and Mercury Poisoning: The Karen Wetterhahn story". Molecule of the Month. Bristol University School of Chemistry. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.5245807. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  14. Nierenberg, David W.; Nordgren, Richard E.; Chang, Morris B.; Siegler, Richard W.; Blayney, Michael B.; Hochberg, Fred; Toribara, Taft Y.; Cernichiari, Elsa; Clarkson, Thomas (1998). "Delayed Cerebellar Disease and Death after Accidental Exposure to Dimethylmercury". New England Journal of Medicine . 338 (23): 1672–1676. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199806043382305 . PMID   9614258.
  15. Witt, Steven F. (9 March 1998). "Dimethylmercury". OSHA Hazard Information Bulletins. Office of Science and Technology Assessment, Occupational Safety and Health Administration . Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  16. Cavanaugh, Ray (February 2019). "The dangers of dimethylmercury". Chemistry World . Royal Society of Chemistry . Retrieved 6 January 2021.