In 2021, approximately 6.4 billion gloves were imported into the US every month.
Many of these gloves come from Malaysia, the world's biggest producer, frequently raising questions about working conditions.
It's a painful topic that is rarely addressed because we certainly need gloves in our laboratories.
Unfortunately, we are seldomly educated on gloves, especially when it comes to their properties and environmental impact.
Nevertheless, we will change that today:
Today's Lesson: Understanding Gloves
The differences and how to handle them sustainably
Number Of The Day
During a pilot program at the University of Washington, researchers in Molecular Engineering and Materials Science reduced the proportion of waste by gloves by 13%. Originally, gloves made up 23% of all lab waste. Additionally, they were able to introduce a nitrile glove recycling program in 2016.
13%
Sharing Ideas With Others
Gloves were introduced in the biomedical field in the 1890s.
A doctor wanted to protect one of his nurses (and later wife) from a skin reaction she had due to harsh disinfectants.
However, it wasn't until the 1960s that single-use gloves gained widespread adoption.
Glove Types
Today, we see three main types of gloves in the lab:
Vinyl gloves are made of PVC, a polymer created from the polymerization of vinyl chloride monomers. They are sometimes used because of their low cost, however, they are the least durable and flexible.
Nitrile gloves consist of nitrile rubber, produced through polymerization. Higher acrylonitrile content improves chemical resistance, while higher butadiene content enhances flexibility and elasticity. They provide higher chemical and puncture resistance, with acceptable fit and feel.
Latex gloves are made from natural rubber, a biopolymer harvested by tapping rubber trees to collect latex sap. The proteins in there are also part of the reason for allergies that might develop. These gloves offer the best fit, tactile sensitivity, and reasonable chemical resistance.
Safety
When assessing the safety of gloves, two common terms are often encountered:
Breakthrough Time: The time it takes to detect a substance inside the glove when the outside is exposed to a chemical.
Permeation Rate: The rate at which a substance passes through glove material once breakthrough occurs.
To learn more about the topic, make sure to visit this site!
The following factors influence these safety measures:
A) The type of glove (e.g., nitrile is better than vinyl).
B) The thickness (measured in mils).
C) The wear and tear of your gloves.
Unfortunately, variations among glove types, producers, and even batches are significant.
For example, breakthrough times for ethanol can range from 8 to 66 minutes, and for chloroform, from 2 to 8 minutes.
Significantly thicker gloves provide better protection but reduce sensitivity and increase their environmental footprint.
Recycling & Sustainability
Theoretically, the most sustainable glove is the latex one because it is made from organic material, and rubber trees do not have to be cut down for harvest. However:
This graphic is from a publication that reviews the deforestation in Asia - DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06642-z. Of note, it is hard to assign the exact deforestation area as unwanted extension of fires or speculation driven eradication might play as well.
- Although latex gloves are biodegradable, composting is neither straightforward nor common
- Latex can also be generated synthetically using petrochemicals (an overview can be found here)
- Additives and contamination make composting unlikely, so it is estimated that only a fraction of gloves is actually recycled.
Additives are chemicals that assist during production, making gloves more stable or flexible, but are often toxic to humans and the environment (for a deeper dive click here).
Technically, any glove that touches something in the laboratory or is worn in a biosafety area is considered contaminated, therefore, sustainable practice is most efficient "upstream"
Sustainable Practices
Purchasing
Organic latex is the most sustainable material, but check the sourcing and production processes. Consider rotating between latex and nitrile to avoid allergies.
Choose lighter gloves unless chemical protection is a major concern (only significant differences in thickness matter for protection)
These numbers are based on estimates from a publication on the impact of personal protective equipment in England during COVID. In fact, they assumed transport by freight (sea) - somewhat surprising that the impact is so small.
Use
Only take gloves when you are certain you will start your work.
Reuse gloves as long as they are intact.
Choose gloves according to the task at hand (e.g., based on work duration or the need for protection).
Don’t let gloves deteriorate—if left unused for too long, they may start to fall apart once touched.
Recycling
Some take-back and recycling programs exist, depending on your location. But ... double-check their validity.
Applying The Knowledge
Remember your health comes first - each health issue will be much more impactful than a glove wasted!
1) Become aware of the type of glove you are using and decide whether it is the right choice for you.
2) Over time, gloves become less resistant due to heat from your body and movement. This effect can reduce their effectiveness by a significant percentage after wearing them for a few hours.
3) If you spill a toxic chemical on your glove, there’s no need to panic; your gloves will protect you for a few minutes on average. However, change them as soon as it is safe to do so.
Indeed, even for medical staff, it is advised to only wear gloves if necessary due to the effect on the skin and reduced disinfection.
The easiest step is to reuse gloves and avoid wasting them. If they are not contaminated, there is no need to discard them as biohazardous waste.
Upcoming Lesson:
The Net Zero Problem
Asking You
"What is the approximate order of magnitude of the carbon footprint associated with a single glove?"
Personal Note From Patrick, The Editor Hello Reader, beautiful to see you. If you have not yet, add your opinion about these lessons! Takes literally just 2 minutes and it would help a ton! Getting back, probably every sustainability guide contains some tips on how to reduce energy consumption. The issue: often these are neither exhaustive nor do they share practical experiences as to how these changes can be achieved. Therefore, let us dive in and overcome those two shortcomings. Today's...
Personal Note From Patrick, The Editor Hi Reader I am glad to have you around again! I hope it is a pleasure for you too. It would be great to hear from you because we would like to collect some testimonials. These will help to make more scientists realize the value of sustainability! Please click right here, to do your good deed for today : ) In our lesson, we talk about the relation of Energy Consumption to Scopes 1,2 & 3. I would advise you to check out the “Asking You” section, I think...
Personal Note From Patrick, The Editor Dear Reader, sweet to see you! Today, we have another exciting lesson with a lot of interesting quantifications for you! Especially since the war in Ukraine we saw how increasing energy costs can curb research. However, electricity impacts are not straight visible and complex to understand. This is why I thought I let's resolve these difficulties! Today's Lesson: Energy Consumption Understanding electricity in the laboratory Number Of The Day According...
