A brief look at the history and evolution of the nitrile gloves

Nitrile gloves are now considered to be industry standard within the medical field when it comes to ensuring complete protection for the hands of the doctors and the nurses. Prior to the invention of these gloves, doctors and nurses did not have any access to covering materials for protecting their hands. The concept of protective gloves for the medical professionals was introduced by William Steward Halstead back in 1889 when as a doctor he found that one of his nurses Caroline Hampton who later became his wife developed some skin rashes as she was handling some chemicals. With the help of the company Goodyear Rubber Co., he was able to have rubber gloves made for her hands. Eventually this led to the rest of his surgical team to use the gloves while carrying out a surgery.

At the beginning stages, these disposable gloves were made of latex since they ensured a natural feel to the users with a proper fitting. The latex gloves helped to protect the hands from directly getting in touch with the different types of bodily fluids. The widespread demand for the latex gloves in the course of time led to their prices rising. This made it necessary for doctors to find low cost alternatives which gave rise to vinyl gloves. The vinyl gloves were cheaper but they lacked the smooth fit, comfort and grip of the latex gloves. In the mid-1990s, disposable gloves were a popular form of hand protection for numerous types of everyday tasks and applications. The only problem with the existing gloves at that time was that there was no product that could deliver protection while handling petroleum-based products.

In order to deal with this issue, the nitrile gloves were developed as a synthetic material having superior chemical resistance properties. This makes them perfect for working with petroleum based materials and products. The nitrile gloves are made from acrylonitrile as well as butadiene monomers. The all new nitrile gloves were also perfect for people who had allergies to latex materials. The nitrile gloves are known to be completely latex-free, extremely puncture resistant and offered a really good fitting and grip. The nitrile gloves are made up of a thin film of material that can dissipate the heat from the users’ hand very quickly, thus minimizing sweating and the sensations of skin irritation greatly. These nitrile gloves are also made with materials that are environment friendly. The cases used for storing the nitrile gloves can easily contain about twice the volume of glove units than what is achievable with other materials. This means that the costs for maintaining storage can be greatly reduced. Companies that make the nitrile latex gloves also adhere to superior production practices which enhance the reliability of the products.

The superior dexterous strength of the nitrile gloves make them suitable for all kinds of applications within the medical sector. These gloves are also greaseproof and waterproof as well as resistant to oils and many types of common chemicals. Such unique features make the nitrile gloves really the best option when it comes to hand protection in a medical environment.

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