How to Choose Sterile Gloves?

Select Based on Application Scenarios and Requirements

• Food Processing: Food production impacts consumer health, so gloves must comply with food contact material safety standards such as the U.S. FDA standards or China’s GB 4806 series standards. Nitrile gloves are an excellent material choice. Free from natural proteins, they pose no allergy risk and offer oil resistance, effectively shielding against common food processing contaminants like fats and sauces. They also undergo rigorous microbial control and sterilization processes.

• Scientific Research: Different experiments demand varying glove specifications. In microbiology, sterility is paramount to prevent microbial contamination of samples. For cell culture experiments, low-endotoxin, powder-free sterile gloves are essential to prevent impurities like endotoxins from affecting cell growth. In chemical analysis experiments, besides sterility, chemical resistance is also crucial—for instance, using chemically resistant nitrile sterile gloves.

Consider the Material Properties of Gloves

• Latex: Gloves made from natural latex offer excellent elasticity, conforming snugly to the hand and providing good tactile sensitivity. However, some individuals may be allergic to the proteins in latex, so confirm whether you or the user has a latex allergy before use. Additionally, latex gloves may swell or degrade upon contact with certain chemicals, compromising their protective performance.

• Nitrile: Nitrile gloves demonstrate outstanding resistance to various chemicals, including acids, alkalis, and oils, making them suitable for operations involving frequent contact with chemical reagents. They also feature low allergenicity, reducing usage risks associated with allergies. However, compared to latex gloves, nitrile gloves may initially feel less soft and elastic. Many modern products now enhance comfort through improved manufacturing techniques.

• Polyethylene (PE): These gloves are more affordable and typically thinner, suitable for simple, low-risk sterile operations like basic food sorting or preliminary microbial sample handling. However, they offer relatively poor strength and elasticity, resulting in limited durability.

Quality Standards and Certifications for Surgical Gloves

• Sterilization Level: Review the sterilization method and validation reports to ensure compliance with relevant sterility standards. For example, for gloves sterilized with ethylene oxide, verify that residual levels meet safety requirements to prevent adverse effects on personnel or products. For irradiated gloves, ensure the irradiation dose is appropriate—effectively sterilizing without compromising glove performance.

• Quality Certification: Select products certified by authoritative bodies, such as medical device certifications (e.g., China’s Medical Device Registration Certificate, EU’s CE certification) or food-related certifications. These certifications provide robust assurance of product quality and safety, indicating the gloves underwent stringent quality control during production.