Written by Janis
Stone, extension textiles and clothing specialist; edited
by Laura
Miller, extension communications.
Iowa State University Extension
Field
studies show that wearing gloves reduces pesticide contamination
on your hands. But do you find that gloves are:
- clumsy
for adjusting equipment,
- uncomfortable
or hot,
- difficult
to get on and off,
- seldom
handy when needed, or
- hard
to keep clean?
To address
these common complaints, this publication looks at your options
for choosing, using, cleaning, and disposing of gloves.
Precautionary statements on pesticide labels state if chemically
resistant gloves are needed. However, it's up to you to choose
the glove material, design, fit, and thickness best suited to
your work.
Materials.
Cotton, canvas, and leather gloves are easily penetrated and
hard to clean so they are not recommended for work with pesticides.
Chemically resistant gloves are made with different rubbers:
natural, butyl, neoprene, nitrile, and fluorocarbon (Viton
® ); or various plastics: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and
polyethylene. These materials can be blended or laminated
for better performance. Silver Shield ® and 4H ® have
good chemical resistance and are barrier laminates.
In testing
gloves for comparison, scientists measure "chemical breakthrough"
time. This is the amount of time needed for a specific pure
chemical to permeate (soak) through the glove. The longer
the time, the better the protection, but an 8-hour breakthrough
time is common. When selecting glove materials, consider not
only the pesticide's active ingredient, but also its formulation.
Most rubbers and plastics are resistant to dry and/or water-based
pesticides. However, for other pesticide formulations, such
as emulsifiable concentrates, the glove material must also
resist the solvent. Common solvents are xylene, fuel oil,
petroleum distillates, and alcohol. If the pesticide label
does not specify a glove material, select a butyl, nitrile,
or a barrier laminate glove.
If the
material is not resistant to your pesticide, you will probably
notice some glove damage right away. If so, discard them and
try a different glove material.
Design.
Gloves are made two ways: 1) die-cut into a "handprint"
from film layers that are heat-sealed together at the edges,
or 2) formed over a hand-shaped mold that is dipped into the
polymer solution. Hand-print gloves fit either hand loosely.
Examples are polyethylene, Silver Shield ® , and 4H ®
gloves. The latter two have better chemical resistance compared
to rubber materials despite their thinness, crisp, slick,
and st ff feel. The fit and slick texture may reduce your
grip. Molded gloves differ in thumb placement and finger length.
If the fingers are too long or short or the thumb is wrong,
try a different brand for a better fit.
Fit,
size, and length. When a glove fits, it seems less clumsy
and is more comfortable. To find your size (7 to 12), measure
around your hand (palm and back). If your hand measures 10
inches, get size 10. Some gloves are sized S-M-L and XL, "men's"
and "women's," or "one size fits all."
If so, try them on. Remember, as a glove stretches to fit,
it gets thinner and will be harder to get on and off. Your
hands may tire more quickly in tight gloves. If gloves are
too big, you may have less dexterity and increased likelihood
of getting them caught in machinery. For most tasks, use a
glove that is 12 inches long and extends halfway to your elbow.
If you need to reach into chemicals, you can get gloves that
extend above the elbow.
Thickness.
Glove material thickness is measured in mils or gauge. With
both measuring systems, bigger numbers usually mean thicker
gloves and greater protection, but more stiffness. For example,
"surgeon's" natural rubber gloves are 4 to 9 mils
in thickness (1 mil = 0.0001 inch), and are not sturdy enough
for pesticide work. Gauge is measured in inches. For example,
Silver Shield ® is 0.004-inch and one Viton ® design
is 0.036 inch. Uniformity in thickness is difficult to produce,
and the thinnest points in a glove will fail first. In general,
thicker gloves are more resistant to chemicals, tearing, and
puncture but are more bulky and clumsy. Thinner gloves let
you manipulate tools and equipment easily, but also puncture,
rip, and tear easily.
Linings.
Cotton knit, woven, or flocked glove linings or fabric cuffs
are comfortable to wear and absorb sweat, but are not recommended
for pesticide use because they are difficult to clean.
Gloves
cannot help you unless you wear them. Keeping several pairs
of gloves handy and free of pesticide soiling, but not in
your way, is a challenge. One idea is to seal clean gloves
in one-gallon zip-close plastic bags. After you handle or
mix pesticides and before you take off the gloves, wash your
gloved hands with water (and soap, if possible). Put the gloves
back into the plastic bag until they can be washed more thoroughly.
Avoid leaving used gloves on the floor o your pickup truck
or in places where family members might touch them. You may
not see any pesticide on them, but tests with fluorescent
dyes prove it is there and can rub off onto other clothing.
Most
of the time you'll probably want your gloves over your sleeve
cuffs. But if you are working in a drenching spray from above,
put gloves under your sleeve cuffs so the chemical doesn't
run down your arm and into your glove.
To take
off gloves, peel one glove off by holding the cuff, then hold
it wrong-side out in the ungloved hand as you peel off the
other glove. Both gloves will be wrong-side out, with the
contaminated surface to the inside, ready for washing or disposal.
Never
pull gloves off with your teeth.
Wash
gloves the same day they are soiled if you intend to use them
again. Flush the outside of the gloves with running water
from a faucet to remove dust and pesticides from the surface.
If possible, do this before you take them off. Do not toss
gloves into the washing machine with other contaminated clothing.
The effectiveness of washing gloves by submersing them in
water separately from other clothes is being investigated.
Washing solutions reduce total contamination, ut also can
contaminate the inside of the glove when submerged. The health
hazard presented by this secondary contamination is unknown.
To wash, use strong detergent, rinse thoroughly under running
water, and hang by the fingertips with a clothespin to dry.
Never put gloves in an automatic dryer; they melt with heat.
Single
use or disposable nitrile or barrier laminate gloves are tough
considering their thickness, but chemical permeation may be
faster than with thicker gloves. Shorten wearing time and
never reuse them.
No matter
which gloves you choose, they probably won't last long. Watch
for these signs to tell you when to replace gloves:
- staining
or color change, inside and/or outside the glove;
- softening,
swelling, or bubbling;
- stiffening,
cracking, or surface change;
- dissolving
or becoming jelly-like, or
- leaking
at any time.
Remember
that pesticides can soak through glove materials or contaminate
the inside without changing the glove's appearance or texture.
Therefore, replace gloves when there is:
- direct
glove contact with highly toxic chemicals for a short time,
or
- repeated
contact over a longer period.
Routine
replacement on a regular schedule may be a good idea, depending
on your exposure situation. Dispose of gloves as you would
empty containers or bags. Cut them up so no one will ever
use them again if they are discarded with your trash.
1. Chemical
resistance of gloves depends on:
a) glove
material.
b) pesticide
formulation and contact.
c) thickness
of gloves.
d) all
of the above.
2. Gloves
with linings or cotton cuffs are not recommended for pesticide
use at all because they're difficult to clean. True or false?
3. You
should always wear your gloves over the sleeves. True or false?
4. If
your glove seems too clumsy, you could:
a) get
a different size.
b) get
a different thickness.
c) get
a different brand.
d) all
of the above.
5. It's
always obvious when gloves need to be replaced. True or false?
[Answers
to quiz: 1-d; 2-True; 3-False; 4-d; 5-False]
Pesticide
safety - What can you do?
Wearing
the right kind of gloves and caring for them properly can
protect your hands from contamination whenever you work with
pesticides. Consider these tips as you select and care for
gloves:
- Read
your pesticide label's precautionary statements regarding
glove use.
- Choose
glove materials considering both the pesticide's active
ingredient and formulation.
- Always
keep several pairs of clean gloves handy.
- Keep
contaminated gloves stored safely until cleaning or disposal.
- Replace
gloves frequently.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
For more information:
Get the Private Pesticide Applicator Study Guide,
PAT-1
,
at any extension office. It also has a current list of glove
suppliers.
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