Nitrile vs Latex vs Vinyl

Nitrile Disposable Gloves Facts:

  • Nitrile has the lowest allergy rate of any glove material on the market
  • Accelerator Free Nitrile gloves are available which are the most comfortable glove for everyday users
  • Extremely high chemical resistance, strong puncture resistance and bio hazard protection
  • Nitrile gloves can easily be donned without powder
  • Nitrile gloves have become more affordable, and today they are on par with Latex glove prices
  • Historically Nitrile gloves did not match latex on levels of “stretch” but over the years Nitrile has become more stretchy and flexible than ever before
  • Nitrile material is food safe, and is the glove material of choice for the food industry (Always check your nitrile gloves are food safe)
  • Nitrile gloves can be biodegradable
  • Nitrile glove demand and usage around the world is rapidly increasing every year because of Nitrile Disposable gloves superior features.

Summary –  Nitrile disposable gloves can be used in almost any industry, with little to no allergy issues for about the same cost as Latex gloves.

 

E.g. TGC Black Nitrile Disposable GloveThe World’s Toughest Disposable Glove
 
 

Latex Disposable Gloves Facts:

  • 8 – 17% of all US health care workers have Latex allergies, users of Latex gloves in other industries experience similar reactions
  • If you wear latex gloves every day you have a high risk of eventually developing a latex allergy or dermatitis 
  • Latex gloves can be difficult to don without powder, and the powder adds to the skin irritation and allergy problems.
  • Latex gloves are made almost entirely from natural rubber (the rubber they make car tyres with), a commodity that is subject to large price movements
  • Moderate chemical and puncture resistance, meaning their principle market is the medical industry
  • High levels of bio degradability and no issues with incineration for glove disposal
  • Worldwide sales of Latex gloves have been on a steady decline for the last six years

Summary – The best application for latex gloves is medical with proven protection from bio hazards like bacteria and viruses, however the need for a second glove alongside remains inescapable because of allergies.

 
 

Vinyl Disposable Glove Facts

  • Vinyl Disposable Gloves are PVC Gloves. The same PVC known to create large volumes of toxic chemicals when manufactured, like dioxin and vinyl chlorides.
  • A PVC glove contains approximately 50-60% PVC, the other 50-40% is made up of plasticisers that make the PVC soft enough to wear
  • The most common plasticiser used in PVC gloves is phthalates DEHP this substance is currently under much scrutiny for its toxicity. (DEHP has been banned from use in children’s toys around much of the world) 
  • The use of Bisphenol and Benzisothiazolinone in the manufacture of PVC gloves is also known to cause allergic reactions and dermatitis with prolonged use
  • Unlike Nitrile and Latex gloves the PVC glove molecules are not cross-linked leading to more holes in the glove film and high levels of bacteria and virus permeation
  • PVC takes a very long time to break down (many decades), and if incinerated, large amounts of toxic emissions are generated
  • All the materials to make PVC gloves are non-renewables namely oil
  • Are extremely cost effective

Summary – Vinyl Disposable Gloves are cheap to make and cheap to buy, but at a high cost to user health and the environment.

Vinyl Glove boxes green and blue

To Powder or Not To Powder?

Powder in disposable gloves is basically a historical leftover whose only purpose was to enable the user to don gloves so they didn’t break. This was essential when the only glove you could buy was Latex. Now, unless you have wet hands, every time you don a pair of gloves there is no need for this irritant to be in the glove. This is particularly true for Nitrile gloves because they are so much stronger than Latex and Vinyl.

Conclusion

The ongoing use of Vinyl gloves is a short-sighted decision for both the user and the environment, especially when there are some great alternatives in Nitrile and Latex at minimal to no additional costs. Although Latex will continue its use in the medical field for some time yet, the use of Nitrile disposable gloves across all market sectors worldwide will continue to grow in the coming years due to the strong features and minimal drawbacks of Nitrile material.

 
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