Glove education

Cleanroom classifications

To choose cleanroom gloves, nitrile gloves or latex gloves, it is better to understand the cleanroom classification. Cleanrooms are classified according to the number and size of particles permitted per volume of air. Large numbers like “class 100” or “class 1000” refer to Federal Standard 209E (FS 209E), and denote the number of particles of size 0.5 µm or larger permitted per cubic foot of air. The standard also allows interpolation, so it is possible to describe e.g. “class 2000”. The ISO 14644-1 standard uses lower numbers, which specify the decimal logarithm of the number of particles 0.1 µm or […]

Gloves and cytotoxic drugs

Am I using the right glove for protecting myself and the product? With worldwide cancer rates expected to continue increasing and cytotoxic drugs being at the forefront of our defence for tackling this disease, safety concerns regarding the preparation and handling of antineoplastic agents are likely to grow. The hazardous nature of cytotoxic drugs is widely acknowledged with studies based primarily on animals leading the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify some chemotherapy drugs as possibly carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. SHIELD Scientific through its regular seminar programmes and articles in relevant publications has been actively educating users on […]

If Hands could speak: Managing glove associated reactions (Allergy)

All of us in the laboratory have probably encountered personally or from colleagues skin reactions when wearing gloves. Indeed given the substantial increase in glove usage in the laboratory, the fact that the incidence of glove associated reactions has also risen should come as no surprise. To address these concerns, SHIELD Scientific has recently published an article “If hands could speak” in LABORATORY NEWS. The key learning points from “If hands could speak” are as follows: Indentifies the three reactions (Irritant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and Natural Rubber Latex allergy) encountered when wearing gloves Distinguishes between glove-associated and non-associated-glove […]