What Is the Difference Between Nitrile, Latex and Vinyl Gloves?

Nov. 12, 2020 | 11:55:39

In any medical environment, disposable gloves are essential items. They not only protect healthcare providers and patients from exposure to potentially dangerous microorganisms, but they also help to set a precedent for hygiene and care throughout the industry. Although this is not surprising, you may not realize that not all disposable gloves are the same.

Different materials and design choices make certain products more suitable for different medical environments. Moreover, if you order the wrong glove type for your practice, you may end up wasting resources and increasing the risk of stabs, tears, and tears.

Disposable gloves are usually made of one of three materials: nitrile, latex, or vinyl. In this blog, we will explore the reasons that make these gloves different from each other and provide guidance on the most suitable environment for each type.

Latex gloves

For decades, latex has been a rock star in the world of medical disposable gloves. As mentioned earlier, this is because Darwin Brown, assistant physician, recommended protecting latex gloves from blood-borne pathogens such as HIV in the 1980s and 1990s. But with their popularity, cases of allergic reactions have also increased. This has led to more demand for latex-free disposable glove alternatives such as nitrile and vinyl. For those who are not allergic, latex gloves are comfortable, relatively cost-effective, and have a high touch.

Disposable latex gloves are highly flexible, protective, and comfortable, and are suitable for most medical environments as long as latex allergy is not a problem.

Vinyl gloves

Vinyl gloves are made of PVC (petroleum-based film). The main advantage of vinyl disposable gloves is that they are cheap to manufacture. That being said, they are not as durable as latex and nitriles, and they provide limited protection against chemical or biomedical exposure. When vinyl gloves are stretched or bent, the individual molecules separate and the integrity of the protective barrier is compromised. Vinyl gloves also pose a threat to the environment, just like international health and safety.

Due to their low price and low level of protection, vinyl gloves are often used in non-hazardous and low-infection environments.

PVC Production Line

PVC Production Line

Nitrile gloves 

Nitrile gloves attracted attention in the 1990s as a major latex substitute. Although they are not as elastic or flexible as latex gloves, the durability and chemical resistance of disposable nitrile gloves are significantly improved. Therefore, these gloves are ideal for anyone who has to deal with potentially hazardous and corrosive chemicals. They are also very suitable for most medical environments, are extremely resistant to puncture, and eliminate the risk of latex allergic reactions.

Understanding these key differences will help you make the right decision when choosing a new examination glove for your organization's unique medical environment. Nitrile Gloves Production Line Suppliers provide Nitrile Gloves Machine, which can meet a variety of uses and needs.