Glove Packaging

​Typically there are two options for powder-free nitrile gloves: boxed and bagged. If you have ever wondered which is the correct glove for your needs, we have the answer.
When you look at the boxed glove packaging, you will see that it is identified as an examination glove. The definition of an examination glove is a glove that is designed for the examination of a patient or the examination of a lab object. Powder-free boxed gloves are always examination gloves. The design of the examination glove is to protect the operator from cross-contamination.
Conversely, a powder-free bagged glove for a controlled environment is not designed to protect the operator, it is designed to protect the object with which the operator comes into contact. Specifically, the protection of the product and the process such as within a cleanroom environment.
 A powder-free nitrile boxed glove is not necessarily a cleanroom glove. There might be trace molecular contaminants that might come off the glove, because the main purpose of the boxed glove is to protect the operator. The primary purpose of the powder-free bagged glove is to keep what the operator comes in contact with clean. The primary use for powder-free boxed gloves is a lab or healthcare environment. The primary use for powder-free bagged gloves is for a controlled environment.

How does the packaging affect the suitability of use? The only way to get a glove out of the box packaging is to grasp the glove somewhere on the surface with the bare hand and pull through the opening, thus cross-contaminating it. A powder-free bag package is a bag within a bag. The operator would take the bagged gloves into the pass through and remove the outer bag to reveal the clean inner bag. The operator then opens the clean inner bag at the cuff end. The gloves now can be grasped and donned only at the cuff without risk of contaminating the glove surface.
In summary, there really is a difference in the powder-free nitrile gloves and it is not just the packaging, it is the intent of the glove. Powder-free boxed nitrile gloves are great to prevent cross-contamination in healthcare and lab settings. Where a powder-free bagged nitrile glove for controlled environments is really the glove you want to be donning when you are concerned about molecular contamination on a process or product. 
Valutek provides not only exceptional products, such as clean room gloves, latex gloves and nitrile gloves, but we provide you with the information you need to know to choose the right product for your needs.