The Detection of Holes in Disposable Nitrile Gloves by Electrical Resistance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Phalen R ; Ung H
• Description:
  Holes in gloves can expose the user to hazardous conditions. Detection of holes is critical in the protection of emergency response and medical personnel. It is assumed the Food and Drug Administration or American Society of Testing and Materials waterleak tests (using 1 liter of water) can detect small holes or defects. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the water-leak test with a novel electrical resistance method in the detection of small-bore needle punctures in the thickest region of the glove (pinky). Methods: Five disposable nitrile glove brands were evaluated. The gloves first went through a validated, modified water-leak test to confirm no holes were present prior to testing. An aqueous solution of 1.5% NaCI was used as a conductive solution for electrical resistance, which was measured using a benchtop multimeter. The detection limit (Dl) was determined by subtracting 3 times the standard deviation from the no-hole mean (n=15). The Dls ranged from 73 to 849 kilo-ohms. Values above the Dl indicated no hole was present. Results: In part one of the study, a 2g-gauge needle with 90 degree point (flat) was used to make round-shaped holes (0.15 :I: 0.05 mm) in the glove. Water leak and electrical resistance tests were performed on each glove brand (n=15). Both methods detected a hole in all samples. In part two, a 30-gauge lancet with 22 degree bevel was used to make a single crescent-shaped hole in each glove. The proportions of false-negatives (passing with a hole present) for the water leak tests were 6.7, 20, 27,33, and 47%. The proportions of false-negatives for the electrical resistance tests were 6-7, a, 53, 100, and 87%, respectively. Conclusions: Neither test was reliable at detecting the crescent-shaped hole from a beveled needle point. An effective modified water-leak test is proposed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety
• Keywords:
  Electrical Resistance Equipment Testing Gloves Hand Protection Personal Protective Equipment PPE
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  66
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058547
• Citation:
  AIHce 2010: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 22-27, 2010, Denver, Colorado. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2010 May; :66
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2010: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 22-27, 2010, Denver, Colorado
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a90ab7ddb5f582896b75b066248696db64db4ba4dd8b994061318137bf25c4b0bcddd6967103f767417f6c522d2a826faa201b7d8c88d394f9baec72d7bbd081
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221612/cdc_221612_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 242.38 KB ]