To detect holes in gloves, the gloves are filled with water and then examined for two minutes.
Any water appearing on the outside of the glove is considered a leak and the glove fails.
Lots that fail a manufacturer's or FDA's test must be reconditioned and brought into compliance or destroyed. The sensitivity of this water test can be judged by testing surgeon s gloves that have holes deliberately made with a laser. Gloves are intended to prevent the transfer of fluid between medical personnel and patients. Viruses found in blood, sweat, and other fluids are much smaller than the holes detectable by the water leak test. Then, each finger was dipped into saline to see if any virus leaked out.