Rank: Super forum user 
|
I have a safety data sheet for a resin material that recommends polymer laminate gloves (no performance data given). Typical practice is nitrile gloves.
Are polymer laminate gloves worthwhile and in what situations? Are they the panacea that their manufacturers crack them up to be?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user 
|
I have had to arrange a lot chemical glove testing these past few years, some of which were very difficult to achieve anything over 120 minutes of breakthrough time, however the answer is not always a multilaminate glove. For example for one chemical we gained a 270 minute breakthrough time for a multilaminate glove and 480+ for neoprene. The quality and quantity of glove information required on SDS is increasing, I have been involved with a National REACh authority discussing a chemical dossier submission and glove data, the outshot was breakthrough time and thickness as well as material type are likely going to be mandatory from now on, not just for this but all chemicals. You can however see, for example from this manufacturers data: http://ppe.ansell.com.au/chemical-glove-guideLaminate gloves do provide a high level of protection against quite a range of chemicals (again with some notable exceptions). If you say the resin / chemical I may be able to help, or of course contact the supplier.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user
|
The whole question of which glove and for how long it will protect is fraught with pitfalls for the unwary. In the first place EN374-3 is flawed in that it tests gloves at room temperature, defined as 23 deg C +/- 1 deg. When a glove is donned it will probably acquire skin temperature, i.e. about 34-36 deg C inside a glove. Permeation breakthrough time will then bear little relationship to what was achieved in the EN374-3 test. Many other factors may affect the real glove performance, such as concomitant degradation, flexing, abrasion, and, of course, mixtures.
I have test data on one glove that tested according to EN374-3 but at 35 deg. C showed permeation breakthrough time for each of methylethyl ketone and toluene >240 minutes. However, when these two chemicals were mixed 1:1 permeation breakthrough time dropped to just 9 minutes!
In a study that I ran together with Sunderland University some years ago we found enormous variations in performance under actual working conditions, the main factor being the nature of the task. We had a technique whereby we could test gloves under actual working conditions to see what was really being achieved.
There is a comprehensive explanation of these factors in chapter 18 of 'Protective Gloves for Occupational Use' (Boman, Estlander, Wahlberg and Maibach eds.) CRC Press, ISBN 0-8493-1558-1.
Chris
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.