Nitrile gloves vs latex gloves, what are the differences? No matter which industry you work in, having hand protection is crucial in maintaining cleanliness and safety. Even the average civilian utilizes hand protection while participating in everyday activities such as pulling weeds, disinfecting cuts, and touching snow. Hand protection allows people to take precautions by shielding their hands and upper arms from potential injuries, hazards, and other harmful substances. When in need of a thinner and more practical hand protection option, both nitrile and latex gloves are popular choices in society today. Both types of gloves are heavily used, especially in the healthcare industry, and it is essential to understand their individual specialties in order to choose the best glove for your endeavor.
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Nitrile gloves are developed from a synthesized copolymer called nitrile butadiene rubber, also known as NBR. NBR is derived through the bonding of the acrylonitrile and butadiene molecules. Due to the glove’s unique composition and manufacturing process, the aforementioned synthetic nature of nitrile produces a more resilient material compared to latex gloves. During the manufacturing process, the gloves undergo polymerization or chlorination. Most nitrile gloves are polymerized because chlorination often causes the gloves to turn yellow after long usage and perspiration.
Latex gloves, on the other hand, are derived from natural rubber latex, which is a milky fluid extracted from rubber trees, the most common tree being Hevea Brasiliensis. After the fluid is extracted from the tree, it is processed and refined in order to create rubber-based products, such as latex gloves. While the natural properties of rubber latex, such as its elasticity and flexibility allow it to be more form-fitting and comfortable on the hands, 4.3% of the population may have latex allergies and thus it is important to understand the risks of latex gloves present to those unaware of their own allergies or sensitivities.
As COVID-19 continues to evolve today, its pandemic effects on this world were clearly suppressed by the widespread wearing of gloves to reduce transmission. During this pandemic, nitrile gloves proved to be more puncture-resistant than latex gloves and thus, proved to provide better and longer protection, especially when working with heavier weighted items and hazardous chemicals. Moreover, because of their extreme durability and polymer composition, many nitrile gloves survive beyond their conservatively prescribed expiration date when stored in more ideal conditions to meet pandemic-era supply shortages.
It is a fact that latex gloves are made of material that is less dense than nitrile gloves, with their thinner composition allowing for better tactile accuracy. Touching an item can almost resemble skin-to-object contact without the thicker rubber barrier of a nitrile glove. This concise contact provides for their effective application in low-risk environments where wearers must feel and manipulate objects with greater precision and sensitivity. Tasks that require fine motor skills and dexterity, including handling micro parts or performing delicate procedures are better suited for latex gloves. However, millions are allergic to latex and thus many manufacturers and corporations, especially healthcare facilities reduce reliance on these gloves whenever possible to avoid situations where employees or patients develop severe unknown allergic reactions. Subsequently, this fear explains why many companies opt for nitrile or even vinyl gloves above traditional latex gloves. Specifically, several states in the US such as Arizona, California, Illinois, Hawaii, Connecticut, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Oregon have completely banned the use of latex gloves in their food service industries.
Nitrile gloves exhibit a snug and form-fitting nature, providing them with the excellent characteristic of conforming to the hand.
Since latex is created from rubber, with properties including natural elasticity and stretch, it consequently also creates the issue of greater perspiration. Lack of air circulation may occur with its extended use. Oftentimes, this characteristic combined with the natural breakdown of proteins whereby latex gloves often turn yellow with time, creates a dilemma for users who enjoy their thinness, elasticity, and sensitivity.
Nonetheless, both Nitrile and Latex Gloves have powder-free versions to address risks of allergic reactions, reduce contamination and infections, improve grip, and enhance comfort.
Nitrile gloves cost anywhere from $0.06 for manufacturers to produce in bulk to $1.95 per unit when finally sold by retailers across the globe. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both nitrile and latex gloves have experienced extremely high demand and have seen a tremendous price increase. However, many popular consumer companies still have them in stock.
Latex gloves cost between $0.01 for manufacturers to produce in bulk to $1.50 per unit when purchased in retail stores. The prevalence of latex allergies in so many people prior to COVID-19 had made many wary of buying latex gloves, leading to a decrease in demand and an increase in excess supply.
Each and every application is unique and specific, and the evaluation of what type of glove to use in every job is pivotal. The aforementioned reviews and summarizes the material, performance, comfort, and cost characteristics of both nitrile and latex gloves, in order to deliver the most resourceful and helpful information to consumers. Both nitrile and latex gloves have been consistently tested and approved by various global regulators. Therefore, it is up to each end user to decide which glove is the right, or left, hand protection for themselves.
Say you’re shopping online for disposable gloves.
There’s an overwhelming number of choices out there. Nitrile or latex? How about vinyl? Powder-free or no? Which gloves are best for your industry?
Not to worry. This comprehensive guide will go through:
Let’s get started.
If you’re a frontline worker or healthcare professional, you may have heard of the nitrile glove shortage. Skyrocketing demand during COVID-19 sent prices up by 967%, from $3 to $32 for a box of 100. Now that we’re in the second year of the pandemic, the shortage (and high prices!) seems likely to continue.
Nitrile rubber (NBR) is a synthetic rubber developed in controlled laboratory conditions. It's the culmination of research that took place between and during the two world wars. Nitrile combines two monomers (acrylonitrile and butadiene) in a process called copolymerisation to form the base material. It's most useful for situations requiring high oil resistance, such as in automotive seals, gaskets, and other items exposed to hot oils.
Nitrile gloves are waterproof, greaseproof, heat-resistant, and chemical-resistant. Medical professionals and higher-risk industries prefer them because of their durability: they’ve got high abrasion, puncture, and snag resistance, which means they’re less likely to rip during use.
Nitrile gloves are also preferable because they’re hypoallergenic. This does not guarantee that you won’t have any allergic reactions though, as the chemical compounds in some gloves can still cause skin allergies.
On top of that, nitrile gloves are snug-fitting and mould to the shape of your hand, giving you more dexterity to perform intricate tasks. Coupled with its ability to limit static discharge, nitrile is the glove of choice for professions where a stray charge may be dangerous (e.g. electricians working with conductive metals, doctors administering cardiac defibrillation).
Certain black nitrile gloves have low sweat technology as well, so they’re comfortable to wear outdoors or for long periods of time. And the fact that nitrile gloves are available in non-medically-associated colours like black and orange makes them popular with tradesmen, who prefer disposable gloves with a sleek look.
Lastly, nitrile gloves typically have a higher shelf life than latex gloves. The former can usually last five years, whereas natural latex has a shelf life of three years. Just note that you should be storing your nitrile gloves out of the heat and direct sunlight.
Well, nitrile actually has a lot of strengths and few weaknesses — hence its popularity.
Aside from the exorbitant prices COVID-19 profiteers will charge you for nitrile gloves, here’s a few of the cons:
Ahh, latex...the natural alternative to nitrile. While latex and rubber are often used synonymously, they’re not exactly the same.
Latex is a naturally-occurring substance that plants create as protection against insects. When the plant is injured, it secretes latex to seal the cut and prevent further attacks. While the most well-known source of latex is the rubber tree, you can actually find it in about 10% of all plants.
For decades, latex was the disposable glove of choice for healthcare institutions all over the world because of its cost-effectiveness, elasticity, and second-skin feel.
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Latex offers decent protection against a number of chemicals, though not as high or as wide a range as nitrile. (See chart) It’s also good against bloodborne pathogens, bacteria, and viruses — provided the latex gloves are medical-grade. (One study revealed that 30% of all latex gloves are not impermeable against bacteria and viruses.)
The elasticity of latex means it’s durable, flexible, and has better tear resistance compared to nitrile. And because it usually fits wearers like a second skin, it offers you better dexterity for sensitive or intricate procedures.
Natural latex gloves are biodegradable for the most part and can be composted as long as they’re uncontaminated. This is preferable particularly for healthcare institutions and food preparation businesses, which are by far the biggest consumers (and waste-makers) of disposable gloves.
Latex gloves offer good to excellent protection against household detergents and bleach, making them an attractive option for the cleaning industry.
Because latex gloves are cheaper than nitrile, they’re generally considered a cost-effective option for professionals who require glove protection for a limited period of time (say, for a medical examination).
Latex gets a bad rap for the severe allergic reactions it causes. It’s true that latex is the most common culprit for glove allergies — and just as true that latex allergies are the most serious because they can cause anaphylactic shock.
But just because you’re using nitrile or vinyl doesn’t mean you can avoid allergic reactions altogether. Often, the compounds in nitrile and vinyl gloves can cause chemical allergies as well.
That said, many medical and food prep facilities have moved away from using latex gloves because of the higher incidence of latex allergies. Even if you’re not wearing the gloves yourself, eating food prepared by someone wearing latex gloves may trigger the allergies.
Latex gloves are inherently static insulative. This means they hold on to an electrostatic charge and then release it in an uncontrolled manner. In cases where this electrostatic discharge (ESD) could cause harm to people or damage to products, disposable latex gloves are not advisable.
Compared to nitrile gloves, latex has a lower puncture resistance and lower shelf life of three years. They’re not meant to be worn for a long time either; one study found that after just 12 minutes of simulated clinical use, natural latex glove defect rates increased to 9%.
If you’ve ever had lunch in a cafeteria or fast food restaurant, it’s likely that your food was prepared by someone wearing vinyl gloves. That’s because food services tend to prefer these low-cost gloves, which also happen to have a long shelf life.
That said, while disposable gloves in general aren’t great for the environment (or our health), vinyl is probably one of the worst offenders as certain brands contain toxic plasticizer chemicals — a chemical that's necessary to make the gloves flexible.
Vinyl is a petroleum-based film also known as PVC — yes, the same underlying material used to create your pipes. It’s inexpensive to synthesise (and therefore cheap for buyers), so it serves as a good option when handling products that require some protection and frequent glove changes.
The main benefit of vinyl gloves is that they’re cheap. They’re loose-fitting and lightly powdered so they’re easy to put on, though there are also powder-free versions. They’re best suited for relatively quick, low-risk tasks that don’t require a lot of tactile sensitivity or dexterity.
Some would say that another perk of vinyl is that it’s a latex-free option for those with latex allergies.
Vinyl actually has the best electrostatic dissipation properties of the three disposable glove types. This means that any electrostatic charges flow to ground more slowly and in a more controlled manner, so they’re recommended for cleanroom applications where there’s little need for bacterial protection.
Vinyl gloves offer fair resistance to fish products, vegetable oils, brake fluid, and gasoline. They resist sulfuric acid better than both nitrile and latex gloves, and are good protection against household detergents and bleach.
Sadly, the easy breakability of vinyl gloves limits their usefulness. Because the material isn’t very elastic, they can break with a simple finger press — or by catching on one of your nails.
Vinyl gloves snag and puncture easily, leaving you vulnerable to microbiological or chemical risks. Then again, you probably don’t want to be wearing these gloves if there are any hazardous chemicals around, as these don’t offer much in the way of chemical protection.
Vinyl also isn’t great with prolonged contact with fatty foods, as fat degrades the material. And the loose fit means they can compromise your dexterity and be uncomfortable to wear. They’re not meant for longer-duration or higher-risk tasks.
That really depends on how long you’ll be using the glove for and what you (and the product or patient) require protection against.
For example, medical examinations are often short, lasting only a few minutes. The gloves are discarded and replaced between each patient appointment. But healthcare facilities are also a high-risk environment for biological, virus, or chemical contamination, so adequate protection is necessary.
Here’s a quick rundown of the characteristics of each disposable glove to help you decide:
Across the board, nitrile gloves offer the best overall protection along with their hypoallergenic properties. Not only do they offer broad chemical resistance, but the greater dexterity, durability, and comfort they afford also increase productivity and safety.
But if you’re purchasing nitrile gloves, you’ll still want to make sure you go for an option that meets the regulatory requirements for your industry.
For example, the Food & Drug Administration in the US has banned powdered gloves because of the risk of illness and injury the powder poses.
In the European nations, disposable gloves used in food preparation must be EN-compliant, which restricts the materials and the trace amounts of plastic that may be released into the food.
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