I'm adding my voice to those suggesting that, in any case, you update your glove safety program and reconsider whether latex gloves should be available at all.

Disposable nitrile rubber gloves (preferably from a trustworthy supplier) are much superior and more suitable for most purposes. [In my experience, though, people use even these too often, rather than choosing the thicker gloves or clumsier (or more expensive) gloves of the appropriate materials which would be more suitable in many circumstances.]

Nitrile rubber gloves are a good general choice, but not a panacea.(What is!) -The thin disposable ones, especially, won't hold up to methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, most ketones, and NMP (N-methyl pyrrolidone).

[I had a bad experience with NMP... A client sent NMP to be used to clean his material out of his equipment after a test. Nitrile gloves were actually listed as appropriate on the accompanying MSDS. A worker wore nitrile gloves (11 mil, I think)  while doing the cleanup . The NMP went through his gloves and caused delayed irritation.

Dianne Kidwell

Debbie Decker  wrote:
Hi Gang:

Excusing the cross-posting.... We have researchers whose latex gloves,
rubber bands and other latex-containing articles degrade at an alarming
rate. This is annoying. Lately, a photographer in this building has found
her images degrading as well. This is now causing consternation amongst
building occupants.

All the obvious have been checked - it is a laboratory building with
one-pass air and the degradation is not localized to a single floor or lab.

Ideas? Don't be shy about suggesting the outrageous.

Thanks,
Debbie


Debbie Decker
EH&S UCDavis
(530)754-7964
dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu
Co-Conspirator to Make the World A
Better Place -- Visit www.HeroicStories.com and join the conspiracy

Birkett's hypothesis: "Any chemical reaction
that proceeds smoothly under normal conditions,
can proceed violently in the presence of an idiot."

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