Abstract No:
1441
Abstract Type:
Student Poster
Authors:
S Mbadu1, J Soo1
Institutions:
1Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Presenter:
SM Samuel Mbadu, Student Member, AIHA
Georgia Southern University
Faculty Advisor:
Jhy-Charm Soo
Georgia Southern University
Description:
The integrity of protective gloves is crucial for preventing exposure to biological fluids and hazardous chemicals in occupational settings. Glove materials such as natural rubber latex, synthetic nitrile, and vinyl are selected based on their distinct chemical and physical properties imparted during their manufacturing processes. For example, the unique elasticity of latex is a result of a vulcanization process that cross-links its polymer chains, while nitrile's strength and chemical resistance make it a popular synthetic alternative. While standard test methods, such as those from ASTM International, exist for evaluating barrier performance, they often do not fully replicate the physical stressors like puncture and stretching that gloves undergo during real-world use. This study builds on previous research (Soo et al., 2024) that developed a novel experimental technique using a domed screen to test the effect of biaxial stretching on glove barrier performance, finding that this stress can reduce glove thickness by 16% to 44% and provided a qualitative assessment (pass/fail) analysis of barrier performance that was limited by the detection sensitivity of the fluorescent challenge. The objective was to provide a more comprehensive, quantitative assessment of barrier performance of disposable medical gloves under both unpunctured and punctured conditions using a highly sensitive fluorometric technique to quantify any change in barrier integrity, including chemical penetration.
Situation/Problem:
Medical gloves are evaluated for barrier efficacy using tests such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 1000 mL Water Leak Test (21 CFR 800.20) or ASTM D5151, Standard Test Method for Detection of Holes in Medical Gloves to assess barrier integrity (FDA, 2003; ASTM International, 2019; Phalen and Howard, 2023). Unlike the water leak test, ASTM F1670 and ASTM F1671 evaluate barrier performance of glove swatches excised from the palm area and not whole gloves. The swatches are placed into a test cell in an unstretched state against a flat screen to limit stretch. However, even a properly fitted glove can stretch, and the degree of elongation is influenced by glove size, hand size, and hand movement. Factors like stretching and flexing are crucial in real-world conditions and can affect the permeation breakthrough time, which is a key measure of a glove's protective ability (Phalen & Maibach, 2023). Glove stretch causes a reduction of glove thickness, which can negatively impact barrier performance (Phalen and Wong, 2011; Kisielewski et al., 2000).
Phalen and Wong (2011) developed a modified water leak test to evaluate the effect of simulated hand movement on nitrile glove integrity. They found approximately 81.7% failure samples were detected in the fingers and thumb, whereas the simulated hand movement did not significantly affect the glove integrity due to limited sample sizes. Standardized tests for permeation, like ASTM F 739 and EN ISO 6529, may not fully reflect the reality of intermittent, real-world exposure to chemicals or other agents, raising questions about the direct relevance of some laboratory data and underscoring the gap between testing and practical use (Phalen & Maibach, 2023). Hence, there is an urgent need for conducting a pilot study of barrier performance evaluation of a disposable glove against a virus-like fluid challenge, when the traditional plaque assay method is labor-intensive and time-consuming.
Methods:
The barrier performance of three glove material types (latex, nitrile, and vinyl) was evaluated using a modified ASTM F903 liquid penetration apparatus (Model CSI-122, Custom Scientific Instruments Inc.). The major modifications to the commercial apparatus included the addition of a critical orifice for improved pressure control and test cells constructed of 1.5-inch stainless steel sanitary clamps and fixtures. Glove swatches were cut from the palm area of the gloves and mounted in these test cells, which featured both a flat screen for unstretched conditions and a 3D-printed domed screen made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The domed screen was specifically designed to induce a 20% biaxial stretch of the glove swatch to simulate in-use conditions, consistent with the methodology of Soo et al. (2024). Each glove swatch was challenged with a fluorescein solution with a final concentration of 0.1 %m/v. The pressure and time parameters for the challenge followed ASTM F1670, specifically 0 kPa for the first 5 minutes, followed by 13.8 kPa for one minute, and then 0 kPa for the remaining 54 minutes. The study included two conditions: unpunctured and punctured gloves. Following the 1-hour exposure period, a recovery buffer was used to wash the unexposed surface of the gloves, and the collected solution was analyzed using an automated spectrofluorometer to quantify any permeated dye. The concentration of the permeated dye was reported in parts per million (ppm). The limit of quantification for the test method was determined to be approximately 3 ng/ml.
Results / Conclusions:
The study, which included a total of 273 samples (177 punctured and 99 unpunctured) with 22 controls, found that puncture was the most significant factor impacting glove barrier performance (P<0.0001). The interaction between puncture and glove type was also highly significant (P=0.00002), confirming that the effect of a puncture on barrier integrity varies by material. The quantitative results showed that unpunctured gloves had a very low average fluorescent concentration of 0.004 ppm. In contrast, punctured gloves showed a significant increase in concentration, with marked differences between glove types as follows: logCvinyl (5.945ppm)> logClatex (5.11ppm) > logCnitrile (5.09ppm). Similar to the findings of Soo et al. (2024), the screen type (stretched vs. unstretched) did not have a statistically significant effect on barrier performance in this study (p=0.2323). These findings indicate that while all gloves are compromised by a puncture, the degree of that liquid challenge ingress is highly dependent on the glove material. The predicted and measured values had a good agreement (R2=0.940; n=273; p< 0.05). The critical role of puncture and the material-specific response to it should be a central consideration in glove selection for occupational safety. This study provides a practical, quantitative method for assessing glove performance under real-world conditions, advancing the science of industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety (IH/OEHS) by informing better personal protective equipment (PPE) selection.
Core Competencies:
Personal Protective Equipment
Secondary Core Competencies:
Exposure Assessment
Choose at least one (1), and up to five, (5) keywords from the following list. These selections will optimize your presentation's search results for attendees.
Exposure Assessment
Personal protective equipment
Risk assessment and management
Based on the information that will be presented during your proposed session, please indicate the targeted audience practice level: (select one)
Professional: Professional is a job title given to persons who have obtained a baccalaureate or graduate degree in IH/OH, public health, safety, environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering or who have a degree in another area that meets the standards set forth in the next section, Knowledge and Skill Sets of IH/OH Practice Levels, and has had 4 or more years of practice. One significant way of demonstrating professional competence is to achieve certification by a 3rd party whose certification scheme is recognized by the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) such as the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (BGC).
Was this session organized by an AIHA Technical Committee, Special Interest Group, Working Group, Advisory Group or other AIHA project Team?
No
Are worker exposure data and/or results of worker exposure data analysis presented?
No
How will this help advance the science of IH/OH?
This research advances the science of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health (IH/OH) by addressing a critical gap between standardized glove testing and real-world performance. It provides a more accurate and practical framework for selecting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in two key ways:
1. Introduces a Quantitative, High-Sensitivity Testing Method: Current standard tests often provide a simple pass/fail assessment of barrier integrity. This study implements a highly sensitive fluorometric technique that can quantify chemical penetration in parts per million (ppm). This moves beyond qualitative results to provide precise data on the degree of failure, allowing for a more nuanced and evidence-based risk assessment.
2. Simulates Real-World Conditions: Standard test methods frequently evaluate glove materials in an unstretched state, which does not reflect the physical stressors they undergo during actual use. By incorporating biaxial stretch and puncture into the methodology, this research provides data that is more directly relevant to occupational settings. It confirms that puncture is the most significant factor in glove failure and, critically, that the level of protection after a puncture is highly dependent on the glove material.
Have you presented this information before?
No
I have read and agree to these guidelines.
Yes