Best N-Dex 7005

Degradation results for Best N-Dex 7005 (4 mil thickness) nitrile disposable gloves. Read explanations following table. Do NOT make this information available without including all information. Table and following text reproduced from Best Guide, January 2000. To see the color information properly your browser color settings must not override this document's.

* CAUTION: According to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), this is a very hazardous chemical and is absorbed directly through intact skin. Although there may be some intermittent-contact applications involving this chemical where the N-DEX would be suitable, we urge you to exercise extreme caution and evaluate for yourself whether or not the N-DEX is appropriate in this particular chemical for your specific application. We suggest layering of gloves when handling this chemical and recommend that the N-DEX be disposed of immediately (instead of merely being wiped off) if intermittent contact does occur.

Ratings based on degradation as described following. No information available for permeation, which could be substantial and undetectable.  Do NOT continue to wear gloves after any known chemical contact which could cause permeation or degradation.  Grossly contaminated gloves should be cleaned and disposed of into regular trash, or disposed of as hazardous waste.

This guide is provided to show you that for brief contact, such as splash or intermittent exposure, you should seriously consider Best N-DEX nitrile gloves as suitable hand protection against many specific chemicals. The information in our guide is intended to help you determine the general suitability of our N-DEX gloves for such applications and does not constitute any form of warranty. The level and type of protection needed for your specific application, of course, is ultimately your responsibility; however, we hope this guide will help you determine whether or not our N-DEX is the proper glove for the job.

If you have any questions about the use of this guide, the test methods used to generate the data in the guide or specific chemicals or chemical mixtures in which our N-DEX would be suitable, please call Don Groce, our analytical lab manager, at 1-800-241-0323. Don is an analytical chemist and will help you determine if our N-DEX is the glove for your particular application.

Presently, there is no ASTM or other standard for degradation testing of gloves. Proposed ASTM draft protocol 23.30.03 rates gloves based on percent weight change after four hours total chemical immersion (the "worst case" scenario). Although this test method generates excellent information, it is categorically biased against thin-gauge gloves such as our N-DEX. Not all applications fit the "worst case" scenario; in many, the only potential exposure is from splash or intermittent contact with a chemical. In these applications, our N-DEX may be a suitable glove for the job.

The third chemical listed in our guide, Acetone, is a perfect example. Using data generated by ASTM draft protocol 23.30.03, which simulates the "worst case" scenario, our 8-mil N-DEX would not be recommended. However, using data generated by our own test method, which simulates intermittent chemical exposure, not only would our N-DEX Plus be recommended, but our 6-mil N-DEX Long Cuff and even our 4-mil would be suggested for on-the-job evaluation.

Chemists in the Best Analytical Lab developed this state-of-the-art method in response to numerous questions from the field about the N-DEX's chemical-resistance characteristics and because of the lack of an unbiased, existing test method simulating brief chemical exposure to thin gauge gloves.

Our method is similar to ASTM draft protocol 23.30.03; however, in our test, brief intermittent chemical immersions were simulated instead of total chemical immersion for four hours. One brief exposure was performed every ten minutes for two hours for a total of 12 exposures. The weighed glove material was quickly dipped into a test chemical. Degradation was measured as the percent weight change. (See key on inside).

In neither our test nor ASTM draft protocol 23.30.03 are any other physical parameters, such as tensile strength or modulus change, measured. Significantly, however, visual observation shows that our N-DEX nitrile gloves almost never become tacky, as do thin-gauge natural rubber gloves, after chemical exposure. The only visual, physical changes are slight swelling and, sometimes, discoloration, depending on the chemical.

NOTE: To help maintain their integrity, N-DEX nitrile gloves should always be blotted dry when a splash occurs. When handling acids and bases, the glove should be rinsed first, then blotted dry. Gloves should be changed at the first sign of swelling to minimize exposure.

The information in this guide applies to Best N-DEX gloves only. Since the actual use of our gloves may differ from that anticipated by us, you must determine their suitability for your specific application through on-the-job testing. Upon written request, we will provide glove or material samples to aid your evaluation.

Remember that conditions in our lab may not totally simulate actual job conditions; for example, heat and relative humidity may differ and can alter test results significantly. Remember, too, that lab testing is performed on pure chemicals, not mixtures, which would also alter the results.

This guide is designed to help you evalutate the N-DEX's suitability for your particular application. Neither this guide nor any other statement made by or on behalf of Best Manufacturing Company herein is a warranty that any Best glove is suitable for a particular purpose, and Best shall not be liable to anyone with regards to this information.

We emphasize that our N-DEX nitrile gloves are not designed for total chemical immersion; they provide protection from splash and intermittent contact only.