What is what are nitrile gloves made of and Why Do We Use Them?

Apr. 28, 2025

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Fact Sheet: Disposable Nitrile Gloves in Chemical Labs | PennEHRS

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Note: For the purpose of this Fact Sheet, the term "disposable nitrile gloves" refers to gloves that are one-time use and have a thickness of 5-mil and less. Examples are given in the tables at the end of the fact sheet.

Nitrile is a synthetic rubber material that offers chemical and abrasion resistance and is a very good general-duty material for gloves.

Thin, disposable, nitrile gloves are the most common gloves used when handling chemicals in laboratories; however, it is important to remember that thin nitrile rubber provides only limited chemical protection. These gloves are intended to be used only as a physical barrier against brief contact with chemicals, and they need to be removed and discarded immediately after they become contaminated.

Glove materials are evaluated on three criteria when exposed to chemicals:

Breakthrough time: This is how long it takes to detect a substance inside the glove when the outside is exposed to a chemical. A glove that holds ups for greater than eight hours is considered excellent.
Degradation: This refers to the physical changes in the material such as swelling, cracking, softening or shrinking, which occur when it comes in contact with a chemical. A glove can exhibit chemical breakthrough even if it doesn’t show signs of degradation.
Permeation rate: This is the rate at which a substance passes through a glove material once breakthrough takes place. This rate includes absorption on the surface, diffusion through the material, and desorption on the inside surface.

It is important to remember that laboratory testing data does not take into account the effects of hand movement and body temperature. The actual protection will be less for a glove that is being worn and stressed during use.

Optimizing Glove Protection

Selecting the right thickness

Glove thickness is usually given in the unit mils, which is equal to one one-thousandth of an inch; therefore, a glove that is 10 mil, is 0.010 inches thick. A thicker gauge glove will provide more protection than a thinner glove of the same material, but often at the expense of touch-sensitivity and dexterity.

Double-gloving can be used to increase the total breakthrough time of a particular glove, but this increases hand fatigue and overheating and is recommended only for short-duration tasks.

Selecting the right size

A glove that is too small for your hand will be over-stretched, which stresses the material and makes it less protective. A glove that is too large may compromise dexterity and may also become more easily damaged during use. Use the manufacturer's size chart to choose an appropriate fit.

Removing gloves carefully

Glove removal (or "doffing") must be done carefully to avoid contact with the outside of the glove. Always wash your hands after disposing of the gloves.

Avoiding cross-contamination

Soiled gloves can contaminate objects and surfaces, later exposing you to chemical hazards. When this occurs, you can unknowingly be exposed to chemical hazards. If you do experience an acute health effect, it can be difficult to determine which chemical was the source of the exposure.

Reduce the likelihood of cross contamination by:

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changing gloves immediately when contaminated and after each chemical-handling task
discarding gloves immediately after use. Never reuse disposable nitrile gloves!
removing gloves and washing hands before leaving the lab
establishing designated glove-only vs. no-glove items such as pens, keyboards, instruments, drawers, door handles, refrigerators, and work spaces

Do not wear gloves in hallways, offices, break rooms, elevators, restrooms, or any other public areas!

A Note about Allergies

In addition to their superior chemical resistance profile, another reason that nitrile gloves are used instead of latex in Penn research labs is to avoid the skin allergies that can be caused by the proteins in the latex rubber. It is possible, however, for some individuals to be sensitive to the accelerators (chemical additives) in nitrile.

Accelerator-free nitrile glove products are available for people who have sensitivity to standard nitrile gloves. One example is pictured here: Hourglass International™ HandPRO™ FreeStyle Nitrile Exam Gloves

Ventyv Blog: Understanding the Differences Between Nitrile, Latex ...

Disposable gloves are an essential item in any healthcare environment. They not only protect healthcare providers and patients from exposure to potentially dangerous microbes, they also help set a precedent of hygiene and care across the industry. While this shouldn’t come as a surprise, what you might not have realized is that disposable gloves aren’t all created equal.

Different materials and design choices make certain products better suited for different medical environments. And if you order the wrong type of glove for your practice, you may end up wasting resources and increasing the risk of punctures, rips, and tears.

Disposable gloves are generally made from one of three materials: nitrile, latex, or vinyl. In this blog, we’ll explore what makes these gloves different from each other, as well as offer guidance into which environments each type is best suited for.

Latex gloves

For decades, latex has been the rockstar of the medical disposable glove world. This is because, as noted by Darwin Brown in Physician Assistant, latex gloves were recommended protection in the s and s against bloodborne pathogens like HIV. But as their popularity increased, so did cases of allergic reactions. This led to more demand for latex-free disposable glove alternatives, like nitrile and vinyl. For those who aren’t allergic, latex gloves are comfortable, relatively cost-effective, and offer a high degree of touch sensitivity.

With high levels of flexibility, protection, and comfort, disposable latex gloves are suitable for most medical environments -- as long as latex allergies are not an issue.

Vinyl gloves

Vinyl gloves are made from PVC, a petroleum-based film. The primary benefit of vinyl disposable gloves is that they’re inexpensive to manufacture. That being said, they are less durable than latex and nitrile, and they offer limited protection against chemical or biomedical exposure. When vinyl gloves are stretched or flexed, the individual molecules separate and the integrity of the protective barrier is compromised. Vinyl gloves have also raised a red flag in terms of their environmental impact, as noted by Health & Safety International.

Due to their low cost and low protection levels, vinyl gloves are commonly used in non-hazardous and low-infection environments.

Nitrile gloves

Nitrile gloves came to prominence in the s as a leading latex alternative. While they’re not as elastic or flexible as their latex counterparts, disposable nitrile gloves are notably more durable and resistant to chemicals. As such, these gloves are the ideal choice for anyone who has to handle potentially hazardous and corrosive chemicals. They are also perfectly suited for most medical environments, being exceptionally puncture-resistant and eliminating the risk of latex allergy reactions.

Understanding these key differences will help you make the right decision when selecting new exam gloves for your organization’s unique medical environment. Ventyv® provides a wide variety of disposable nitrile and latex gloves for a multitude of uses and needs. Our gloves provide the strength and barrier protection needed to Outsmart Infection®.

Want more information on white nitrile gloves? Feel free to contact us.

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