Learn The Real Difference Between Nitrile, Latex, and Vinyl Gloves and Their Uses

In a healthcare environment, maintaining hygiene and protecting yourself from external elements is extremely important to both the safety of the physician and the safety of the patient. Gloves are an essential part of this protocol and serve as a barrier between diseases and the person wearing the gloves. They are a testament to healthcare precautions and standard of care.

Disposable gloves come in many shapes and sizes. Some gloves are better suited for selected people and specific uses, and others for other people and uses. Using the wrong glove for the wrong reason or the wrong person can result in discomfort, increased risk of punctures, or causing an allergy in the person. This article will discuss the differences between nitrile, latex, and vinyl gloves as well as their uses.

Latex Gloves

Latex gloves are by far the most popular among the medical community and have served as a frontrunner for disposable gloves. Latex is a natural rubber material that is pumped out from tree sap and latex trees for a long time. However, what made scientists find an alternative for latex was the increasing risks of latex allergies.

What makes latex gloves special is their durability, elasticity, strength, and heat resistance. These gloves are usually preferred by healthcare providers because it provides an unmatched degree of comfort and fit as well as the best protection. Latex gloves are effective against contamination as it reduces the chances of punctures, tears, and cuts. For people who are not allergic to latex, these gloves are cost-effective and offer a great degree of touch sensitivity.

Since these gloves are flexible and elastic to a good extent, they can be used in any scenario centered around the medical environment as long as allergies are not an issue.

Here are some advantages of using latex gloves:

• Superior elasticity, comfort, and fit

• Excellent protection from microorganisms

• Resistant to punctures, tears, and cuts

• Biodegradable

• Cost-effective

• Good dexterity

• Preferred in the medical industry since they are naturally made

The major disadvantage of latex gloves is the latex allergies it causes. The allergies may be mild to severe, involving skin rashes, hives, itching, breathing difficulties, and so on. Moreover, latex gloves show little chemical resistance which makes them unsuitable for chemical handling.

Vinyl Gloves

As compared to latex, vinyl is a synthetic rubber that is free of protein and is biodegradable. These gloves are the first alternatives to latex gloves since they are free of latex and instead contain Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which is a petroleum-based film and plasticizer.

Vinyl gloves are easily manufactured because they don’t cost much. What made them desirable at first was their latex-free composition. They were the first synthetic alternatives to latex and hence did not cause latex allergies.

Vinyl exam gloves are less thick and as a result, less durable as compared to latex and nitrile. Due to their fragility, they are not ideal for use in serious situations. They offer little protection against microorganisms and hazardous materials but can be used for the short-term management of chemicals and non-hazardous materials. Stretching and flexion of these gloves can easily cause a breach in the protective barrier and hence are not a safe option for handling hazardous materials.

Moreover, vinyl gloves lack the flexibility and dexterity of nitrile and latex gloves. They are often powdered which leads to skin problems of their own. Other disadvantages of vinyl gloves include a loose, stiff fit that eventually causes muscle fatigue. There have been concerns regarding the environmental impact of vinyl gloves by Health and Safety International.

Here are some of the advantages of vinyl gloves:

• Latex-free, providing a substitute to latex allergies

• Loose-fitting

• Useful for short-term handling or low-risk tasks

• Affordable

• Anti-static properties

• Ideally used in non-hazardous conditions

• Lightly powdered which makes it easier to put on

And here are some of the disadvantages of vinyl gloves:

• Highly susceptible to punctures, tears, and cuts

• Ineffective barrier to microorganisms or chemicals

• Does not fit like a second skin

• Less dexterity

• Cannot be used for prolonged time due to allergies caused by the powder

• Higher rate of chemical permeation

• Not biodegradable and hence is not good for the environment

Nitrile Gloves

In the 1990s, nitrile gloves gained popularity due to their latex substitution. These gloves are made from a synthetic rubber called acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber. Nitrile gloves initially came into being to avoid the problems caused by the latex gloves and low protection against solvents.

They offer flexibility, long-life durability, and chemical resistance. These gloves are also resistant to moisture. Nitrile gloves offer heightened tactile sensitivity which allows the user to pick up small items that can otherwise not be picked by vinyl gloves. They offer a greater degree of accuracy and specificity. Nitrile gloves are puncture-resistant.

Due to their flexibility and durability, these gloves can be utilized in industrial tasks, as well as hazardous medical environments where there is a greater risk of exposure to microorganisms, chemicals, and other potential threats. These gloves can also be used in the food industry.

Nitrile gloves are a popular choice among healthcare workers, laboratory workers, food-handling, healthcare providers, general industrial tasks, beauty shop owners, bathroom inspector, dentistry, chemical handling, automotive industry, and janitorial industry. What makes nitrile gloves exceptionally useful in industrial work is that they provide exceptional tactile specificity that allows the user to pick up small tools such as screws and screwdrivers.

Here are some of the advantages of nitrile gloves:

• Long shelf life

• High chemical resistance

• Decreased risks of punctures and tears

• High level of touch sensitivity

• Provides superior fit and comfort

• Highly resistant to oils, fats, and petroleum-based products

• Latex-free, protein-free, and allergy-free

• Lightweight

• Breathable material

• Easy to use

• Ideal gloves for high-risk scenarios involving hazardous materials and infectious agents

• Excellent durability and flexibility

• You can wear them for long periods of time

Here are some disadvantages of nitrile gloves:

• Expensive gloves; they require more capital to manufacture as compared to both latex and vinyl

• Not biodegradable

Conclusion

While there are many kinds of gloves, each one serves a different purpose. Latex was the first glove to be used in the healthcare industry, then vinyl took its place, but it proved to be less efficient. Nitrile is highly protective but is more expensive. All three have different uses than the other and can’t always be substituted. So you must choose according to your needs and situation.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes