Nitrile gloves

Description

Disposable nitrile gloves refers to gloves that are intended for one-time use and have a thickness of 5-mil or less. Nitrile glove use is ubiquitous in heritage environments. However, not all gloves are created equal. Nitrile gloves are manufactured myriad ways, resulting in gloves with varied textures, chemical composition, and fit. Textured gloves should be avoided for use when handling art as should gloves that contain powders (gloves that are preferred are advertised as "powder-free").

Synonyms and Related Terms

Disposable gloves; "Rubber gloves"

Personal Risks

Wearing gloves can protect art from having human oils and fingerprints deposited onto it. However, it should be kept in mind that the gloves themselves may impart materials onto art, which is why it is important to use the best (ie, most archival) glove when handling art.

Working Properties

Excerpt from Table 2 in Determination of nitrile gloves appropriate for use when dry handling art, by Stephens, Breitung, Geiculescu, and Strange (see references)

Manufacturer	Brand Name	Leaves a visible residue?	Modified Oddy Final result	Cl- content (ug/g)	Recommended for use?
Showa®	7500PF blue economy grade gloves	No	T	2	Yes
Ansell Ltd.	BioClean™ Biotac white nitrile cleanroom gloves	No	T	125	Yes
Uline	S-21081 black exam grade nitrile gloves	No	T	667	More work necessary
Fisherbrand™	Comfort blue nitrile gloves	No	T	--	More work necessary
Uline	S-14179 blue industrial nitrile gloves	No	T	--	More work necessary
Balco Industries, Inc.©	Premium Handcovers dark blue nitrile gloves	No	U	38	No
Showa®	8050PF N-Dex® blue disposable nitrile gloves	No	U	65	No
Condor®	Powder-free blue unlined nitrile gloves	No	U	--	No
Uline	S-16768 blue comfort industrial nitrile gloves	No	U	2630	No
Showa®	8005PF N-Dex® blue disposable nitrile gloves	Yes	T	2	No
Ansell Ltd.	Microflex® Onyx® N64 black exam gloves	Yes	T	--	No
Kimberly-Clark	KC500 Professional™ purple nitrile powder-free exam gloves	Yes	U	111	No
Ansell Ltd.	Microflex® FreeForm® SE blue powder-free nitrile gloves	Yes	U	357	No
The Safety Zone®	Black standard textured nitrile gloves	Yes	U	33	No
Sempermed®	SemperForce® black nitrile examination gloves	Yes	U	564	No
Showa®	6110PF green biodegradable disposable gloves	Yes	U	365	No
Kimberly-Clark	KC100 Professional™ Lavender™ nitrile exam gloves	Yes	U	642	No
NSI	FlexShield® 9.5" blue disposable nitrile gloves	Yes	U	588	No
Sempermed®	Sempercare® blue nitrile examination gloves	Yes	U	1580	No

Resources and Citations

• Mason, J. (2018). Handling Heritage Objects Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Canada.

• Hoffman, W. (2009). Silver tarnishing properties of gloves used in conservation [Research Report] Kingston (Ontario): Queens University.

• Imamura, L. (2016). Investigation of nitrile gloves for the handling of silver objects [Research Report] Kingston (Ontario): Queens University.

• Barker, C. S. (2010). How to select gloves: an overview for collections staff Washington, DC: National Parks Service. Report 1/12. Conserve O Gram.

• Stephens, C. H., Breitung, E. M., Geiculescu, C., Strange, T. (2021). Determination of nitrile gloves appropriate for use when dry handling art Journal of the American Institute for Conservation doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2021.1913543

• Summary: Results indicated that the best gloves to use when dry handling art include: Ansell Bioclean Biotac white cleanroom gloves and Showa 7500PF blue economy gloves. Ideal testing for nitrile gloves is ion chromatography, where the chlorine content should be determined. Gloves with less than 100 ppm chlorine are best to use. Testing of gloves should be conducted bi-annually to make sure they remain appropriate for use.

• Fact Sheet: Disposable Nitrile Gloves in Chemical Labs. 2022. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Environmental Health & Radiation Safety Department. [accessed 4/11/2022]