Nitrile gloves

== Description ==
Disposable nitrile gloves refers to gloves that are intended for one-time use and have a thickness of 5-mil or less. Nitrile glove use is ubiquitous in heritage environments. However, not all gloves are created equal. Nitrile gloves are manufactured myriad ways, resulting in gloves with varied textures, chemical composition, and fit. Textured gloves should be avoided for use when handling art as should gloves that contain powders (gloves that are preferred are advertised as "powder-free").
== Synonyms and Related Terms ==
Disposable gloves; "Rubber gloves"
== Personal Risks ==
Wearing gloves can protect art from having human oils and fingerprints deposited onto it. However, it should be kept in mind that the gloves themselves may impart materials onto art, which is why it is important to use the best (ie, most archival) glove when handling art.
== Working Properties ==
 Excerpt from Table 2 in Determination of nitrile gloves appropriate for use when dry handling art, by Stephens, Breitung, Geiculescu, and Strange (see references)
Manufacturer 	Brand Name 	Leaves a visible residue?	Modified Oddy Final result	Cl- content (ug/g)	Recommended for use?
Showa® 	7500PF blue economy grade gloves 	No 	T 	2 	Yes
Ansell Ltd. 	BioClean™ Biotac white nitrile cleanroom gloves 	No 	T 	125 	Yes
Uline 	S-21081 black exam grade nitrile gloves 	No 	T 	667 	More work necessary
Fisherbrand™ 	Comfort blue nitrile gloves 	No 	T 	-- 	More work necessary
Uline 	S-14179 blue industrial nitrile gloves 	No 	T 	-- 	More work necessary
Balco Industries, Inc.©	Premium Handcovers dark blue nitrile gloves 	No 	U 	38 	No
Showa® 	8050PF N-Dex® blue disposable nitrile gloves 	No 	U 	65 	No
Condor® 	Powder-free blue unlined nitrile gloves 	No 	U 	-- 	No
Uline 	S-16768 blue comfort industrial nitrile gloves 	No 	U 	2630 	No
Showa® 	8005PF N-Dex® blue disposable nitrile gloves 	Yes 	T 	2 	No
Ansell Ltd. 	Microflex® Onyx® N64 black exam gloves 	Yes 	T 	-- 	No
Kimberly-Clark 	KC500 Professional™ purple nitrile powder-free exam gloves	Yes 	U 	111 	No
Ansell Ltd. 	Microflex® FreeForm® SE blue powder-free nitrile gloves 	Yes 	U 	357 	No
The Safety Zone® 	Black standard textured nitrile gloves 	Yes 	U 	33 	No
Sempermed® 	SemperForce® black nitrile examination gloves 	Yes 	U 	564 	No
Showa® 	6110PF green biodegradable disposable gloves 	Yes 	U 	365 	No
Kimberly-Clark 	KC100 Professional™ Lavender™ nitrile exam gloves 	Yes 	U 	642 	No
NSI 	FlexShield® 9.5" blue disposable nitrile gloves 	Yes 	U 	588 	No
Sempermed® 	Sempercare® blue nitrile examination gloves 	Yes 	U 	1580 	No
== Resources and Citations ==
* Kate Fugett, Justine Wuebold, Susan Costello, Kate McEnroe, 'The Use, Reuse, Refuse, & Recyclying of Nitrile Gloves' AIC News, Sept. 2022, Vol 47(5): Link
* Mason, J. (2018). Handling Heritage Objects Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
* Hoffman, W. (2009). Silver tarnishing properties of gloves used in conservation [Research Report] Kingston (Ontario): Queens University. 
* Imamura, L. (2016). Investigation of nitrile gloves for the handling of silver objects [Research Report] Kingston (Ontario): Queens University. 
* Barker, C. S. (2010). How to select gloves: an overview for collections staff Washington, DC: National Parks Service. Report 1/12. Conserve O Gram. 
* Stephens, C. H., Breitung, E. M., Geiculescu, C., Strange, T. (2021). Determination of nitrile gloves appropriate for use when dry handling art Journal of the American Institute for Conservation doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2021.1913543
* Summary: Results indicated that the best gloves to use when dry handling art include: Ansell Bioclean Biotac white cleanroom gloves and Showa 7500PF blue economy gloves. Ideal testing for nitrile gloves is ion chromatography, where the chlorine content should be determined. Gloves with less than 100 ppm chlorine are best to use. Testing of gloves should be conducted bi-annually to make sure they remain appropriate for use.
* Fact Sheet: Disposable Nitrile Gloves in Chemical Labs. 2022. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Environmental Health & Radiation Safety Department. [accessed 4/11/2022]
Category:Materials databaseCategory:MWGCategory: Health & Safety/PPECategory:Comparisons