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Customers' questions address usage, shelf life, and disposal.
Because hand protection plays such a major role in keeping workers safe, questions often arise concerning gloves and their use, care, and disposal. Below are several questions that are often asked by end users.
How can I determine the shelf life of a specific glove?
Two factors will affect the functional storage life of a glove: the type of material the glove is made from and the conditions under which it is stored. To maximize their useful life, all gloves should be stored in a cool environment, shielded from ozone and ultraviolet (UV) light. The latter is especially important for natural rubber gloves, which are extremely susceptible to degradation from UV light-and even the weak UV from fluorescent lights.
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not established any guidelines for the storage lives of surgical and medical gloves, some manufacturers specify a shelf life of five years for these products. The American Society for Testing and Materials is presently developing a protocol for estimating glove shelf life. After this is established, the FDA may change its policy and compile its own guidelines.
Some manufacturers specify a five-year shelf life for industrial-type gloves made of cotton and synthetic materials, with a three-year storage life for natural rubber gloves. In most cases, these are conservative values, especially for synthetic products designed for multiple uses.
Gloves that have deteriorated during storage will have apparent signs of deterioration. They will tear easily when stressed and will develop a hard surface layer that will crack when stretched. The inside of a powder-free glove without a separate donning layer may change from tough polymer to a layer of "goo." If gloves, however, look normal, stretch without surface cracks, and can be pulled onto the hand without breaking or tearing, they will probably provide the level of protection they were designed to provide.
In the case of sterile gloves of any type, the Association of Operating Room Nurses in its 1999 Standards, Recommended Practices and Guidelines recommends that "packages be considered sterile unless damaged or opened." So if older gloves appear to be usable according to the above guidelines, they...