I’m sorry. This just doesn’t pass the common sense test with my knowledge of what could possibly be contaminating the gloves. I find it hard to believe that all of the people wearing nitrile gloves are fully aware of the hazards, glove permeation data, etc. to make an informed decision. Let alone assess how those contaminants would persist in a decontamination process.
Karen Wetterhahn , PhD was knowledgeable, but HazCom standard and our educational system (we) failed her. Personally, I would never approve of recycling/reusing nitrile gloves unless the decontamination/acceptance tests were well defined, documented and included a full liability exclusion guaranteeing 100% effectiveness of their process.
To be frank, I don’t care what a company says it can do, I care about what they can prove and stand behind! My history may be jaded, having worked for Toxicology testing companies that used positive controls to induce cancer, Parkinson’s, etc., and that is with the chemicals previously tested enough to be used as positive controls. Want to guess how many chemicals have not completed full testing?
I may be showing my skepticism here, but I’m not sure if that is due to experience or age.
For your consideration,
Bruce V. Van Scoy, CSP
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of Margaret Rakas
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2022 4:30 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Recycling disposable gloves..
Good afternoon,
We have several labs that want to participate in glove recycling. These are nitrile gloves that the supplier intends to be used for work with chemicals (glove permeation data available) with (at most) minor amounts of chemicals on them ('splash' amounts rather than immersion)--most likely have nothing on them. The recycling companies say they don't care what's on them, it's all good--one even says acid, biologicals, it's all fine.
I can make an argument against recycling gloves used in recombinant DNA or BSL-2 work, but with the 'we'll gloves with anything on them' I am having trouble finding a reason to say 'NO!' to ardent recycling supporters who use chemicals, particularly small amounts of flammable and dilute corrosive chemicals.
I'd like to know if other institutions are sending gloves to recycling vendors--do you approve this lab by lab, are my concerns about contamination issues unwarranted, etc?
--
Margaret A. Rakas, Ph.D.
Lab Safety & Compliance Director
Clark Science Center
413-585-3877 (p)
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