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The Importance of Comfort in Laboratory Gloves
By Kristin Barrett, Kimberly-Clark Professional™ Global Scientific Business
There are many considerations to keep in mind when selecting laboratory gloves. But one critical attribute is comfort. Because without it, you can put your process and your workers at risk.
Key comfort features to look for in a glove are: • Tactile sensitivity • Good grip • Dexterity • Ergonomics
The Characteristics of Comfort
Glove material can have a dramatic impact on comfort. Nitrile gloves offer protection and the sensitivity of latex, without the risk of allergic reactions to natural rubber latex. Nitrile provides the best of both worlds, at a value price.
In addition to material considerations, look for features that improve dexterity while minimising the risk of hand fatigue, such as textured gloves or fingertips. Two new glove lines from Kimberly-Clark Professional™ deliver both comfort and protection.
Kimtech™ Prizm™ and Prizm™ Xtra Gloves
These gloves were created for high-risk lab environments where safety is essential, such as some of the most demanding scientific applications in the biotech, non-sterile pharmaceutical and university research fields. They deliver precision, protection and comfort without compromise. Designed for scientists by scientists, Prizm™ Gloves were developed to harness the latest glove manufacturing technologies and prove that scientists do not need to make compromises when it comes to glove safety and selection. Crafted with a proprietary combination of polymers, neoprene and nitrile, Prizm™ Gloves are one of the thinnest chemical resistant gloves available today.
The powder-free gloves feature a US Ergonomics certification – confirmation that they will deliver ergonomic benefits to users. US Ergonomics is the industry leader in product and workplace ergonomic testing and certifications. A product that has received this certification ‘provides measurable ergonomic benefits to the user by improving comfort and fit and by minimising the risk factors that may cause injuries’ [1].
Other Prizm™ comfort benefits include: • Ultra-fingertip grip to reduce the risk of drops and breakage, even when wet • Best-in-class dexterity, without limiting protection • A wide range of sizes to ensure proper fit • An accelerator-free donning layer to reduce the risk of allergic reactions
Kimtech™ Opal™ Nitrile Gloves
These gloves are ideal for research and production facilities, life sciences and non-sterile drug manufacturing applications. They deliver improved comfort for extended use, along with high tactile sensitivity, without compromising worker safety. The powder-free gloves are manufactured without vulcanisation accelerators [2] or added sulphur and do not contain natural rubber latex – reducing the risk of Type 1 and Type IV glove-associated skin reactions as well as protecting the application. The gloves also feature a patented technology to protect the skin known as Low Derma Technology*.
Other Opal™ comfort features include: • A thin nitrile polymer and tip thickness of just 0.07 mm to deliver excellent tensile strength while being able to withstand rigorous process use • Soft, comfortable and easy to don, making them suitable for extended use • Textured fingertips to enable excellent handling of wet and dry materials
Sustainability Benefits
Sustainability is also an important characteristic to consider when selecting a glove. Kimtech™ Prizm, Prizm™ Xtra and Kimtech™ Opal™ Nitrile Gloves are recyclable through The RightCycle™ Programme [3]. This groundbreaking service enables research and manufacturing facilities, universities and a variety of businesses to collect previously hard-to-recycle items, such as Kimtech™ nitrile gloves and single-use apparel items and convert them into new consumer goods. In addition, the thin nitrile construction and efficient packaging of the Kimtech™ Opal™ Nitrile Gloves can reduce waste by up to 50% [4]. With Kimtech™ Prizm, Prizm™ Xtra and Opal™ Gloves, comfort and sustainability truly go hand-in-hand.
For more information on Kimtech™ Prizm™ or Opal™ Gloves, please visit
www.kimtech.eu Kristin Barrett is EMEA Scientific Marketing Manager with the Kimberly-Clark Professional™ Global Scientific Business
References
1. US Ergonomics.
https://us-ergo.com/product-ergonomics/ergonomics-product-certification/ 2. No sulphur added and formulated without the following vulcanising chemicals and accelerators: Thiurams, Thiazoles, Guanidines and Carbamates. *Patent
www.lowderma.com/patents 3. Available in the U.K., Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and Belgium 4. Compared to a standard number of gloves per dispenser box of 100
LABMATE UK & IRELAND - SEPTEMBER 2022 - ADVERTORIAL
SAMPLE GLOVES WITH THIS ISSUE
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