Testing Our Exam-Grade Gloves

Barrier Protection Confidence Tests in Medical Gloves

All medical gloves must meet certain Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) standards. This relates to the product’s freedom from pinholes and typically refers to the barrier protection confidence level. A lower AQL number represents a higher quality product. For the purpose of sampling inspection, the AQL is used by manufacturers to identify the maximum number of allowable defects (pinholes) per 100 units. Medical gloves inspected to an AQL of 2.5 must have fewer than 2.5 defects for every 100 gloves.

There are two tests used to verify AQL in gloves: the water leak test and the air inflation test. The Water Leak Test consists of filling a glove with 1,000 ml of water, suspending it for two minutes and then inspecting it for any leakage. Air Inflation Tests consists of inflating the glove with compressed air and visually inspecting it for holes. One additional test measures the medical gloves’ resistance to chemicals -- the Chemical Permeation Test. This measures the resistance of protective clothing materials to permeation by liquid or gaseous chemicals under conditions of continuous contact.

Strength Tests in Medical Gloves

Strength tests are done to simulate the stress medical gloves undergo during actual usage. Glove strength is measured by resistance to tearing, puncturing and breaking and by stretchability. Testing typically covers Tensile Strength, Elongation or elasticity, V-Tear, Trouser Tear and Puncture Resistance.

Tensile Strength is defined as the amount of force in pounds per square inch that is needed to stretch a medical glove until the breaking point. Higher numbers reflect superior performance. Elongation is how far the glove stretches before it breaks. For example, if a 1? sample stretches to 7? before it breaks, the elongation is 600 percent. A higher number is better because it indicates superior elasticity.

V-Tear measures the force required to initiate a tear, while trouser tear measures the force needed to continue tearing once an initial tear has been made. Puncture resistance measures the material’s ability to resist rupturing when stricken by an object.

Biocompatibility and Protection against Microorganisms

Medical gloves are also required to undergo various tests that demonstrate the potential of the material to cause irritation to the skin. These evaluations include Primary Skin Irritation tests, which demonstrate the potential for irritating abraded skin, and Dermal Sensitization testing, which indicates the potential for causing allergic contact dermatitis.

Testing is also conducted to demonstrate the ability of clothing to prevent penetration by a microorganism. This test, known as Bacteriophage Penetration Resistance, specifically measures the effectiveness of materials used in protective clothing for preventing the penetration of a surrogate microbe (Phi-X 174 bacteriophage) suspended in simulated body fluid under conditions of continuous contact. This type of testing is evaluated on a pass-fail basis.

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