No one glove material is impervious to all chemicals. The range of effects from these different chemicals can be broad. Some are immediate and obvious as the gloves literally dissolve. In others, the chemicals can degrade the barrier effectiveness, but the glove appears to remain intact. Nitrile is resistant to many chemicals and oil-based products.
Chloroprene offers good resistance to chemicals, atmospheric degradation, oils, and fats.
Polyurethane has no accelerators, residual odor, or taste. When chemicals are anticipated, workers need to know in detail the hazards and limits of exposure as described in the Material Safety Data Sheet as well as the manufacturing product information sheet. The major role of examination gloves is to provide barrier protection against infectious agents and bodily fluids. Besides latex gloves, several additional examination glove types are available, including PVC, nitrile, and polyurethane. However, the increase in latex allergies has caused the non-latex glove market to expand exponentially.