Healthcare Settings

When handling samples or carrying out tests in healthcare settings, it is important to protect yourself from bodily fluids, infections, bloodborne pathogens, and parasites. Wearing high-quality medical grade gloves and changing them often is necessary in order to ensure a safe work environment. We offer medical grade latex, vinyl, and nitrile gloves for this purpose.

General Laboratories

Gloves are also needed when conducting experiments or handling chemicals in general laboratories. Changing gloves after coming into contact with chemicals is highly recommended in order to prevent harmful substances from contaminating equipment and infecting others.

Those working in laboratories are at risk of coming into contact with a variety of harmful chemicals. The gloves used must be resistant to any substances the user may work with. Gloves are required when working with carcinogens, oxidizers, sensitizers/irritants, solvents, and a variety of other substances handled in general laboratories.

Nitrile gloves are the best choice when handling carcinogens like carbon tetrachloride. Gloves made from latex also offer fair resistance, while vinyl gloves offer poor resistance to carbon tetrachloride and are not recommended for this purpose.

Nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other oxidizers can also be used in laboratory settings. Latex gloves offer the best resistance to nitric acid 20%, while nitrile and vinyl also have fair resistance. Nitrile gloves offer excellent resistance to hydrogen peroxide, while latex gloves also offer decent resistance. When exposed to sensitizers or irritants like acetone or acetic acid, users can suffer from inflammation and sensitivities. Latex gloves have excellent resistance to both acetic acid and acetone. While nitrile and vinyl gloves also offer decent resistance to acetic acid, they offer poor resistance to acetone.

For solvents like diethyl ether, latex and vinyl gloves offer fair protection. Nitrile gloves offer excellent resistance to these substances.

Ammonium hydroxide and caustic chemicals like sodium hydroxide may also be used in the lab. All three glove materials are ideal for handling ammonium hydroxide. When working with sodium hydroxide 50% NaOH, latex gloves are recommended but nitrile and vinyl gloves also offer fair resistance.

Those working in laboratories will often use burners and other heat sources when conducting experiments. Heat resistant gloves are required when working with this equipment. With excellent heat resistance, nitrile gloves are the best choice for this purpose. Latex gloves also have decent heat resistance, and vinyl gloves can protect users from less intense heat sources.

Cibowares offers a variety of chemical-resistant vinyl, latex, and nitrile gloves to suit any laboratory need. Read our Gloves Buying Guide to learn more about our selection of high-quality disposable gloves.

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