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A customer the other day asked me about alternatives to latex gloves because her partner was developing an allergy. No probs I get this question all the time.
Simple answer: Nitrile gloves
She then asked about latex allergies. I explained that it is different for different people some folks will just get a small rash and others can experience anaphylaxis (powder on the gloves is a real culprit as folks breath it in). I also even got a little show offy informing her about food allergies linked to latex. banana, avocado, cherries and some other fruits have a similar protein to latex so sometimes these allergies overlap. ya I am wicked smart.
then she asked me what Nitrile “was” and what the difference was from polyerthane gloves that she has used before ummmm…. did I say wicked smart? I paused and came up with what I knew.
NItrile is a synthetic latex free of any latex protein, it’s strong and fairly flexible and easier to slide on compared to latex (less resistance) and you always want to get “medical” grade the ones we carry.
Then the polyurethane ummmm….it’s a synthetic polymer and it is less elastic than both nitrile and latex
both are good for safer sex stuff.
I figured I didn’t need to go into the chemistry lesson and I already used the word anaphylaxis so I felt home free.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 at 12:11 am and is filed under authori-ty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Oh, no it’s not at all confusing… after all, here is what wikipedia says about the two:
A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links. It is widely used in flexible and rigid foams, durable elastomers and high performance adhesives and sealants, fibers, seals, gaskets, condoms, carpet underlay, and hard plastic parts. Polyurethane products are often called “urethanes”. They should not be confused with the specific substance urethane, also known as ethyl carbamate. Polyurethanes are not produced from ethyl carbamate, nor do they contain it.
got that? right…
A nitrile is any organic compound which has a -C≡N functional group. The -C≡N functional group is called a nitrile group. In the -CN group, the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom are triple bonded together. The prefix cyano is used in chemical nomenclature to indicate the presence of a nitrile group in a molecule. A cyanide ion is a negative ion with the formula CN−. The -CN group is sometimes, less properly, referred to as a cyanide group or cyano group and compounds with them are sometimes referred to as cyanides.
phew! I think you did an okay job bringing it down to the basics of what and why. : )