Glove Me Tender

Nitrile Glove Comparison Chart Survey Results Summary Photo: Larry HandAACR participants donned nitrile gloves for a LabConsumer survey. It started with an itch. Dan Suich had been working in the lab for about a year when it struck. His itchy hands eventually became painful and started to bleed. Suich suffers from an allergy to latex in the gloves meant to protect him. According to numerous studies, approximately 10 percent of health care workers experience negative reactions to latex gloves.

Written byAmy Francis

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Nitrile Glove Comparison Chart

Survey Results Summary

Photo: Larry Hand

AACR participants donned nitrile gloves for a LabConsumer survey.

It started with an itch. Dan Suich had been working in the lab for about a year when it struck. His itchy hands eventually became painful and started to bleed. Suich suffers from an allergy to latex in the gloves meant to protect him. According to numerous studies, approximately 10 percent of health care workers experience negative reactions to latex gloves. Only recognized since the late '80s, the prevalence of latex allergies in laboratories and hospitals has reached crisis proportions. According to Gordon Sussman, a clinical immunologist studying the problem at the University of Toronto, "Anyone who uses a latex rubber glove is at risk of developing a latex allergy."

Precautions against exposure to HIV and hepatitis and crackdowns on lab safety have led to increased glove usage in recent years. Overwhelmingly, ...

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