Medical Gloves, Hand Hygiene Help Halt Deadly CRE
Hospital staffs across the country are doubling down on their efforts to stop the spread of hospital acquired infections (HAIs.) While progress has been made in understanding and reducing the spread of MRSA, C. diff and other germs, there is a growing and far more deadly threat – carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE. CRE germs are [...]
Read MoreTips to Avoid Contact Dermatitis This Winter
The winter season is here. That means colds and flu, and overly-drying, heated air in our homes and workplaces. Add necessary frequent hand washing to this combo and you may end up with a very uncomfortable situation – contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis can be divided into two categories – irritant and allergic. Irritant contact dermatitis [...]
Read MoreCleanroom Gloves – Balancing ESD and Cleanliness
leanroom environments in the electronics, nanotechnology and semiconductor industries are especially sensitive to static. For this reason, the electrostatic discharge (ESD) property of cleanroom gloves worn by workers is an important consideration. Electrostatic discharge damages the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device. It can also cause equipment to malfunction or fail, interfering with the normal [...]
Read MoreCompounding Pharmacies – Sterile Gloves and Fingertip Sampling Required
The fungal meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated steroid medications made by New England Compounding Center in Framingham (NECC), Mass. has brought about a flurry of articles and blog posts calling for tighter regulations and direct FDA oversight of compounding pharmacies. Some of the articles make it appear that compounding pharmacies are nothing more than renegade [...]
Read MoreCleanroom Gloves – Particles, Extractables and Selection
Cleanroom gloves are worn throughout the electronic, aerospace, solar, medical device and pharmaceutical industries to protect products from contamination during manufacturing. Nitrile cleanroom gloves are a popular choice. Compared with latex gloves, nitrile gloves offer better abrasion resistance and therefore less particulate shedding. They provide excellent biohazard protection, and can be laundered to deliver the [...]
Read MoreAcrylates in the Dental Office – Hazards and Hand Protection
In the dental office, occupational hazards are everywhere. You wear masks and gloves to protect yourself from the dangers of infection from close contact with patients’ saliva and blood. You give attention to your posture to minimize the risk of musculoskeletal disease. And you wear nitrile gloves, sometimes two pair, when working with acrylates. Or [...]
Read MoreProper Medical Glove Use and Hand Hygiene Reduces HAIs and Saves Lives
hile medical facilities appear to have gained some ground against Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs,) the problem is still a great and very real daily threat to human life. Bacteria that cause HAIs, such as C. diff, MRSA, E. coli, and S. aureus result in an astounding 2 million infections a year and an estimated $6.7 [...]
Read MoreDisposable Glove Quality Testing
The FDA sets high standards to ensure the disposable gloves you purchase here in the U.S. perform as expected and provide an adequate barrier for their intended use. To meet these standards, glove manufacturers have tight quality controls and manufacture gloves according to ASTM specifications and testing requirements. A key quality measurement that glove manufacturers [...]
Read MoreAre Your Cleanroom Nitrile Gloves Full of Pinholes?
Cleanroom and controlled environments have unique glove requirements. While healthcare workers primarily wear gloves to protect themselves from bloodborne pathogens, a person working in a clean manufacturing environment primarily wears gloves to protect the product or process from contamination. Pinholes in gloves provide a path for human-borne contaminants in the clean manufacturing environment. Just one [...]
Read MoreWhat is Nitrile Anyway?
Disposable nitrile gloves have become a mainstay in the medical, dental, lab, cleanroom and food handling industries. We enjoy their strong, latex-free comfort. But what is nitrile anyway? The Science of Nitrile Nitrile is a shortened term for Nitrile Butadiene Rubber, or NBR. Although it is also referred to as NBR latex, there is no [...]
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