Chemical Health & Safety
November/December 1997
Chemical Health & Safety 1997, 4(6), 14-18.

Copyright © 1997 by the American Chemical Society.

Evaluating laboratory gloves

"Degradation Ratings. Degradation is the physical change in a glove after chemical exposure. Typical effects may be swelling, wrinkling, deterioration, or delamination. There are no accepted standards for measuring degradation" (5). One method for this test uses the modified ASTM D-471 test cell (6). A measure of puncture resistance is also used to evaluate degradation (6). Weight change and puncture resistance are given performance ratings of Excellent to Poor; for example, a weight change of 0­ 10% is excellent, and higher than 30% is poor (5, 6).

"Permeation Testing. Standard F 739-91 of the ASTM establishes test methods for determining the chemical resistance of chemical protective clothing which include:

  1. "Minimum Detectable Limits (MDL, in ppm). The smallest amount of a chemical detectable by an analytical system being used to measure permeation. The MDL qualifies the breakthrough time as being the safest most reliable information achievable.
  2. "Breakthrough Detection Time (BDT). The time in minutes from initial exposure of a chemical to the glove's outer surface to the time the chemical can first be detected on the glove's interior.
  3. "Permeation Rate. The steady-state rate of a chemical permeating an area of glove material established when the chemical reaches equilibrium with the glove material during the eight-hour test period" (5).


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