Glove movement can affect chemical permeation of organic compounds through
polymer glove products. However, conflicting reports make it difficult to compare the
effects of movement on chemical permeation through commonly available glove types. This
study was aimed to evaluate the effect of movement on chemical permeation of an organic
solvent through disposable latex, nitrile, and vinyl gloves. Simulated whole-glove
permeation testing was conducted using ethyl alcohol and a previously designed permeation
test system. With exposure to movement, a significant decrease (p
≤ 0.001) in breakthrough time was observed for the latex (-23%) and
nitrile gloves (-31%). With exposure to movement, only the nitrile glove exhibited
a significant increase (p ≤ 0.001) in steady-state permeation
rate (+47%) and cumulative permeation at 30 min (+111%).
Even though the nitrile glove provided optimum chemical resistance against ethyl alcohol,
it was most affected by movement. With exposure to movement, the latex glove was an
equivalent option for overall worker protection, because it was less affected by movement
and the permeation rate was lower than that of the nitrile glove. In contrast, the vinyl
glove was the least affected by movement, but did not provide adequate chemical resistance
to ethyl alcohol in comparison with the nitrile and latex gloves. In conclusion, glove
selection should take movement and polymer type into account. Some glove polymer types are
less affected by movement, most notably the latex glove in this test. With nitrile gloves,
at least a factor of three should be used when attempting to assign a protection factor
when repetitive hand motions are anticipated. Ultimately, the latex gloves outperformed
nitrile and vinyl in these tests, which evaluated the effect of movement on chemical
permeation. Future research should aim to resolve some of the observed discrepancies in
test results with latex and vinyl gloves.