Development of an experimental technique to determine the barrier performance of medical gloves when stretched.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Pub Date : 2024-09-27 DOI:10.1093/annweh/wxae058

Jhy-Charm Soo, Lee Portnoff, Joseph Bickson, Edward M Fisher

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Protective clothing standards, such as test methods published by ASTM International, play an integral role in ensuring the performance of personal protective equipment. The standard tests are not without limitations and are periodically reviewed and often updated. Some tests may not be reflective of in-use conditions. A new test cell was designed using sanitary fixtures to evaluate the effect of glove stretch on barrier performance using fluorescein solution as the challenge agent for enhanced visualization and fluorometer detection. Domed-shaped and flat screens were developed to permit and limit glove stretch within the test cell. The barrier performance of glove swatches was evaluated for both stretched and unstretched states. Latex, nitrile, and vinyl glove models of various thicknesses were evaluated. The tests were conducted following pressure and time parameters specified in ASTM F903, ASTM F1670, and ASTM F1671. Fluorescein solution movement, which may occur through penetration, was measured using a fluorometer. Glove stretch caused a reduction in glove thickness ranging from 16% to 40%. Overall, 21 sample failures were found (16.7%; n = 126) regardless of test condition. Nitrile gloves provided better barrier efficacy with the lowest failure rates (2.38%; 1 failure out of 42) compared to latex (19.4%; 7 failures out of 36) and vinyl gloves (27.1%; 13 failures out of 48). Differences in failure rates between stretched and unstretched gloves were insignificant; however, the latex material showed a 2.5 times increase in failures when stretched compared to unstretched. The new test apparatus was able to differentiate between the barrier performance of different glove materials. The use of a domed screen allowed the gloves to stretch, a condition that better represents the state of gloves when in use. Analysis of samples collected from the glove surface opposite to the exposure may provide a way to assess chemical permeation in addition to penetration.

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开发一种实验技术，以确定医用手套拉伸后的阻隔性能。

防护服标准，如 ASTM 国际协会公布的测试方法，在确保个人防护装备的性能方面发挥着不可或缺的作用。标准测试并非没有局限性，会定期进行审查并经常更新。有些测试可能无法反映实际使用条件。为了评估手套拉伸对阻隔性能的影响，我们设计了一种新的测试单元，使用卫生固定装置，并将荧光素溶液作为挑战剂，以增强可视化和荧光检测仪的检测能力。为了允许和限制手套在试验池内的拉伸，开发了圆顶形和平面筛网。在拉伸和未拉伸状态下，对手套色板的阻隔性能进行了评估。对不同厚度的乳胶、丁腈和乙烯基手套进行了评估。测试按照 ASTM F903、ASTM F1670 和 ASTM F1671 中规定的压力和时间参数进行。使用荧光计测量了荧光素溶液的移动，这种移动可能通过渗透发生。手套拉伸导致手套厚度减少 16% 至 40%。总体而言，无论测试条件如何，共发现 21 个样品不合格（16.7%；n = 126）。与乳胶手套（19.4%；36 例中有 7 例失效）和乙烯基手套（27.1%；48 例中有 13 例失效）相比，丁腈手套的阻隔效果更好，失效率最低（2.38%；42 例中有 1 例失效）。拉伸手套和未拉伸手套的故障率差异不大；但是，拉伸乳胶手套的故障率比未拉伸手套增加了 2.5 倍。新的测试仪器能够区分不同手套材料的阻隔性能。穹形筛网的使用允许手套拉伸，这种状态更能代表手套在使用时的状态。对从手套表面收集到的与暴露相反的样本进行分析，除了可以评估渗透性外，还可以评估化学渗透性。

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来源期刊

Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

19.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： About the Journal Annals of Work Exposures and Health is dedicated to presenting advances in exposure science supporting the recognition, quantification, and control of exposures at work, and epidemiological studies on their effects on human health and well-being. A key question we apply to submission is, "Is this paper going to help readers better understand, quantify, and control conditions at work that adversely or positively affect health and well-being?" We are interested in high quality scientific research addressing: the quantification of work exposures, including chemical, biological, physical, biomechanical, and psychosocial, and the elements of work organization giving rise to such exposures; the relationship between these exposures and the acute and chronic health consequences for those exposed and their families and communities; populations at special risk of work-related exposures including women, under-represented minorities, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups such as temporary, contingent and informal sector workers; the effectiveness of interventions addressing exposure and risk including production technologies, work process engineering, and personal protective systems; policies and management approaches to reduce risk and improve health and well-being among workers, their families or communities; methodologies and mechanisms that underlie the quantification and/or control of exposure and risk. There is heavy pressure on space in the journal, and the above interests mean that we do not usually publish papers that simply report local conditions without generalizable results. We are also unlikely to publish reports on human health and well-being without information on the work exposure characteristics giving rise to the effects. We particularly welcome contributions from scientists based in, or addressing conditions in, developing economies that fall within the above scope.