Latex Gloves

Latex is a natural substance found in nature that comes from the rubber tree. The milky white fluid is drained from the tree and when this is left to dry it becomes sticky and gooey. Several chemicals are added into the rubber to make the latex used for latex gloves.

Latex gloves are used common place in hospitals and medical facilities as a barrier against bacteria and viruses. The more we discover how illnesses are passed from person to person the more precautious our society has become. It is now common place for latex gloves to be used in food preparation, food handling and any service where contact is made from person to person where there is a chance for the transfer on infection and disease. As a precaution against the spread of malicious bacteria and viruses US Postal service employees use gloves while handling our mail. Auto technicians use gloves to prevent oil and grease from being in contact with the skin, this makes for easy cleanup and prevents harmful chemicals from penetrating the skin.

There are many different grades and sizes of latex gloves. Latex gloves come in economy, general purpose, Premium and medical grades. Each grade is specific to the task the glove is to perform. Also latex gloves come with or without a powder coating on the interior of the glove. Powder coating enables the glove to slide onto the hand better and aids in keeping down perspiration of the hands. Here is a chart for the uses of the grades of glove to be used by a specific industry.

	Economy	General Purpose	Premium	Medical Grade
Light food handling	X
Food preparation		X
Food production		X
School Cafeterias		X
Mail handling			X
Medical facilities				X
Auto Centers			X
Hotel housekeeping	X
Restroom maintenance			X
Dental Facilities				X

Allergic reactions to latex are quite common. Some common reactions to latex are:

Latex allergies should be taken seriously and preventative steps should be taken. An allergic reaction can come on suddenly even if you have been tested negative for latex allergies. Latex allergies are caused by proteins in natural rubber and the chemical process used to make latex gloves. For people who have allergies we recommend using a non latex alternative such as nitrile.

When purchasing latex gloves they are either sold by case or box. Box refers to usually a box of 100 gloves. There are usually 10-12 boxes per case depending on the manufacturer.