5 Reasons Why Nitrile Gloves Are Best for Medical Use

Nitrile is fast becoming the staple glove material in medical environments. It will soon overtake latex, the common choice of medical professionals for well over 100 years. So why is the health industry starting to move away from latex, and why should you choose nitrile?

Nitrile gloves are popular in the medical industries

What Is Nitrile?

Nitrile is a type of synthetic rubber that is also known as nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). NBR is highly resilient, resistant to harsh temperatures and is common with the fuel and oil handling industries in parts such as hoses, seals, grommets and fuel tanks. It also comes with impressive strength and puncture resistance, which is why it caught the eye of glove manufacturers soon after it was created.

Why Should I Use Nitrile Gloves in Medical Environments?

Durability

As nitrile is a synthetic rubber, it means that it is far more durable than most disposable gloves. This is ideal for higher risk industries, as it reduces the chances of the gloves ripping during use. Some nitrile gloves, such as the Black Mamba and Grippaz Gloves actually boast that sometimes you can even reuse these gloves after one use.

Hypoallergenic and Anti-Sweat

Nitrile tends to be a more hypoallergenic choice than latex because it is synthetic, meaning that it doesn't pose the problems that latex gloves can. This is perfect for the health industries as you can never be certain if a patient's skin will react badly to the material. Nitrile gloves that are powder-free also come with another bonus: they can reduce sweating which will reduce discomfort during a long and hot shift.

Certified (medical grade)

It doesn't matter if you're a surgeon or a care worker, if you're working with patients you need gloves that have the medical certification for the job. While not every single nitrile glove will have the correct medical certification, a lot do, so it's worth checking all of our Nitrile Gloves for the correct standards. Standards to look out for include: 89/686/EEC, ISO 13485, CMDCAS 13485, EN 455 and EN 374.

Comfort

Nitrile gloves are stronger and more resilient than latex gloves and they don't hold back on comfort either. As mentioned above, nitrile gloves tend to be more skin-friendly, and as they can also reduce sweat, it means that discomfort is reduced even on hot days. Nitrile tends to be flexible and stretchy too, meaning that they offer a good, not-tight fit.

Oil, Solvents and Chemicals

Our final reason is that nitrile gloves tend to be extremely resistant to oils, solvents and chemicals. If you do work in a medical environment, and come into contact with certain drugs, then you can have confidence that the gloves that you are wearing will not harm your skin.

Our Best Nitrile Gloves for Hospitals

Below are three of our top selling medical grade nitrile gloves. NITREX is best suited to professionals, designed to offer superb resistance to viruses while providing the grip needed for tactile tasks. The GL890 Gloves are also suitable for use with viruses and are popular among care workers as well as hospital staff, while the Aurelia Bold Gloves are our best selling nitrile gloves, with superb strength, resistance and comfort.

Aurelia Bold Medical Grade Black Nitrile Gloves

• Price is per box of 100 gloves
• Nitrile constructed gloves for added protection and strength
• Black design with micro-texture for secure grip
• Latex-free, ambidextrous gloves

In stock now

£4.74

Details

NITREX Extra Sensitive GN01 Nitrile Examination Gloves

• Price is per box of 200 ambidextrous gloves
• Formulated for high levels of strength and tactile sensitivity
• Micro-textured fingertips provide good grip for increase safety
• Certified for resistance to viral penetration (F1671)

In stock now

£7.00

Details

Polyco GL890 Bodyguards Medical Gloves for Virus Protection

• Medical grade disposable gloves for virus protection
• Designed for medical, food and care industries
• Certified to EN 455 and virus certified to EN 374
• Price is per pack of 100 disposable gloves

In stock now

£5.80

Details

Browse Our Full Range

If you want to view our full range of nitrile gloves, don't hesitate to check out our Nitrile Gloves category. Alternatively, you can take a look at our Best Nitrile Gloves for Hospitals blog. 

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