Nitrile gloves have proven to be the most appropriate and ultimately the best in most situations, particularly in the healthcare industry. What is the reason for this? In this blog we discuss why. 

What is Nitrile?

Nitrile rubber is a synthetic rubber that was developed during World Wars I and II in the early twentieth century. The compound, which is made up of two copolymers, acrylonitrile and butadiene, is a very versatile substance. The higher the acrylonitrile content, the more durable and strong the product. Nitrile gloves have a lower acrylonitrile concentration than latex or vinyl gloves to keep them soft, malleable, and useful while still maintaining their strength.

The manufacturing procedure does not remove the inherent proteins in latex because it is a natural material generated straight from rubber trees. These proteins are directly responsible for the majority of latex allergy. Up to 48 hours later, this would usually manifest as a rash or minor irritation of the skin, but in other situations, this might manifest as a rash or minor irritation of the skin.

The difference between nitrile and acrylonitrile is that nitrile undergoes chemical processes that bind two fundamental materials: acrylonitrile and butadiene. A copolymer of these two materials is used to make nitrile gloves. Its qualities are superior to those of most other gloves, including being up to three times more puncture-resistant, superior acid, oil, and chemical resistance, and being largely allergen-free.

The final product of the production process is a polymer that is free of latex proteins and stronger than vinyl or latex gloves. Because of its wide operating temperature range, the material is used in a variety of aviation applications.

Why use nitrile?

Its properties are highly appropriate for healthcare applications. By comparison, latex potentiates a relatively high likelihood of allergies, due to its being a natural material. By further comparison, vinyl is hard, untactile and is slippery. In short, nitrile is everything that alternatives are not.

These properties in other materials are hard to reach because they ultimately will sacrifice one other property or another. Nitrile gloves provide all the qualities in one glove, retain their shelf life, and provide ultimate durability.

Nitrile gloves also provide another special quality – superior chemical resistance. In many medical applications – for example chemotherapy – the user needs ultimate protection while retaining usability. This can only be made possible with this protection where vinyl and latex would simply dissolve or corrode.

Are Nitrile suitable for all applications?

The answer is yes, trades that aren't in the medical industry such as mechanics use nitrile because it provides a good grip when smeared with oils and lubricants.

Other options, on the other hand, make more sense in some circumstances. A vinyl or polythene glove is the most popular glove used in food handling scenarios. These, especially polythene, are incredibly cheap, and their sole purpose is to avoid contamination. As a result, for efficient use, durability, grip, and tactility are not necessary. Similarly, latex gloves are widely employed in cleaning applications when a simple barrier to unwanted material is required due to their softness and inexpensive cost. The distinction is that nitrile gloves are appropriate for all of these tasks.