- This topic has 55 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 6 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
As a First Aid and bloodborne pathogens instructor and an employee at a rehab facility, I know many places have stopped carrying latex because of the allergies, but there are a few things you should know about them…
– Frequent wearers or people who work around the stuff are the most likely to have the allergies
– Most ‘lay people’ are not allergic, but often request non-latex because they mis-understand the whole allergy bit- they seem to think they can get the allergy by casual contact with latex
– If you are not allergic, and would only rarely wear them, there is not a major reason to not put them in a FAK
– If you have a latex allergy, you usually just get mild symptoms, like sneezing or a minor skin rash- ‘contact dermatitis’ (type 4 allergy)- although a very few people can go into full-blown anaphylatic shock- a life-threatening condition (type 1 allergy, rare)
– If you are ‘type 4 allegic’ and touched by a latex-wearing care-giver, the rash is usually a minor nuisance
– If you are ‘type 4 allergic’ and have to wear latex gloves a lot, it is a major annoyance
– Cheap gloves of ANY material rip more easily then better gloves of the same material- thickness and material quality countsI prefer Nitrile in my kits, but I would not greatly sweat using latex in an infrequently-used FAK. If you were a frequent rescuer, I would definitely go non-latex though.
Just a point to note, Vinyl gloves are not rated for the hazards of coming into contact with body fluids. At least, not in the UK. Latex or Nitrile are the ones to get. I personally like the Latex gloves but am finding it more difficult to get hold of. Most Ambulance Services and Hospitals now only carry Nitrile.
madkins007 said:
As a First Aid and bloodborne pathogens instructor and an employee at a rehab facility, I know many places have stopped carrying latex because of the allergies, but there are a few things you should know about them…– Frequent wearers or people who work around the stuff are the most likely to have the allergies
– Most ‘lay people’ are not allergic, but often request non-latex because they mis-understand the whole allergy bit- they seem to think they can get the allergy by casual contact with latex
– If you are not allergic, and would only rarely wear them, there is not a major reason to not put them in a FAK
– If you have a latex allergy, you usually just get mild symptoms, like sneezing or a minor skin rash- ‘contact dermatitis’ (type 4 allergy)- although a very few people can go into full-blown anaphylatic shock- a life-threatening condition (type 1 allergy, rare)
– If you are ‘type 4 allegic’ and touched by a latex-wearing care-giver, the rash is usually a minor nuisance
– If you are ‘type 4 allergic’ and have to wear latex gloves a lot, it is a major annoyance
– Cheap gloves of ANY material rip more easily then better gloves of the same material- thickness and material quality countsI prefer Nitrile in my kits, but I would not greatly sweat using latex in an infrequently-used FAK. If you were a frequent rescuer, I would definitely go non-latex though.
Click to expand…
I fully aggree.
There’s some great misunderstanding out there. People who wear powdered Latex gloves during their whole working shift might get a latex allergy.
But in reality there are lots and lots of units (paramedic and hospital) out there which use powdered latex gloves only.madkins007 said:
As a First Aid and bloodborne pathogens instructor and an employee at a rehab facility, I know many places have stopped carrying latex because of the allergies, but there are a few things you should know about them…– Frequent wearers or people who work around the stuff are the most likely to have the allergies
– Most ‘lay people’ are not allergic, but often request non-latex because they mis-understand the whole allergy bit- they seem to think they can get the allergy by casual contact with latex
– If you are not allergic, and would only rarely wear them, there is not a major reason to not put them in a FAK
– If you have a latex allergy, you usually just get mild symptoms, like sneezing or a minor skin rash- ‘contact dermatitis’ (type 4 allergy)- although a very few people can go into full-blown anaphylatic shock- a life-threatening condition (type 1 allergy, rare)
– If you are ‘type 4 allegic’ and touched by a latex-wearing care-giver, the rash is usually a minor nuisance
– If you are ‘type 4 allergic’ and have to wear latex gloves a lot, it is a major annoyance
– Cheap gloves of ANY material rip more easily then better gloves of the same material- thickness and material quality countsI prefer Nitrile in my kits, but I would not greatly sweat using latex in an infrequently-used FAK. If you were a frequent rescuer, I would definitely go non-latex though.
Click to expand…
I fully aggree.
There’s some great misunderstanding out there. People who wear powdered Latex gloves during their whole working shift might get a latex allergy.
But in reality there are lots and lots of units (paramedic and hospital) out there which use powdered latex gloves only.We have at work Latex gloves (i’m working at EMS in Germany) and no one of us is allergic, cause the gloves are not powdered!
At home i have Latex and Nitril gloves. I like Latex more, cause they are not so thick as Nitril and you have more sensibility at the fingers for working with first-aid equipment.You should definetly NOT choose Vinyl, they are too breakable and not elastic.
NYC Paramedic says: Vinyl gloves sucketh mightily. Use different gloves for different things. My current favorites are light blue nitrile. XL are easier for me to get on, large are snug and make it easier to do delicate work like start IVs. FDNY used to get a brand called Uni Seal’s Hi-Risk unpowdered latex gloves that I liked mucho. They were replaced by another brand and now they’re going between 3 or 4 suppliers. I only like the older ones. Many people refer to them as “P2’s” after another manufacturer/brand of high risk gloves. I like regular latex exam gloves but hate powdered gloves with a passion. I have biggish hands and in many places where a high proportion of the staff is female there are rarely large or extra large gloves available. I always carry plenty of extra gloves on the job and a few pairs on me all the time off. There is a glove dispenser by MicroFlex called the Cuff First that is pretty nice. I got a free sample of it with a pack of each of the types of gloves they offer. I liked the gloves and wore the dispenser on my duty belt for about 2 months before an electric stretcher attacked and killed said belt. Was a handy way to carry gloves and might not be bad for a small pack of gloves that are protected for EDC in larger bags and cases. If I had access to the refills for free I’d use it full time. http://www.microflex.com/Products/Cuff-First-Dispensing-System.aspx The refills are around 4-5 bucks each depending on which ones you get. They have regular glvoes in 20 packs and extended cuffs in 10 packs, the extended cuff model meets NFPA standards if that’s an issue for you (won’t be for most).
-billNYC Paramedic says: Vinyl gloves sucketh mightily. Use different gloves for different things. My current favorites are light blue nitrile. XL are easier for me to get on, large are snug and make it easier to do delicate work like start IVs. FDNY used to get a brand called Uni Seal’s Hi-Risk unpowdered latex gloves that I liked mucho. They were replaced by another brand and now they’re going between 3 or 4 suppliers. I only like the older ones. Many people refer to them as “P2’s” after another manufacturer/brand of high risk gloves. I like regular latex exam gloves but hate powdered gloves with a passion. I have biggish hands and in many places where a high proportion of the staff is female there are rarely large or extra large gloves available. I always carry plenty of extra gloves on the job and a few pairs on me all the time off. There is a glove dispenser by MicroFlex called the Cuff First that is pretty nice. I got a free sample of it with a pack of each of the types of gloves they offer. I liked the gloves and wore the dispenser on my duty belt for about 2 months before an electric stretcher attacked and killed said belt. Was a handy way to carry gloves and might not be bad for a small pack of gloves that are protected for EDC in larger bags and cases. If I had access to the refills for free I’d use it full time. http://www.microflex.com/Products/Cuff-First-Dispensing-System.aspx The refills are around 4-5 bucks each depending on which ones you get. They have regular glvoes in 20 packs and extended cuffs in 10 packs, the extended cuff model meets NFPA standards if that’s an issue for you (won’t be for most).
-billNYC Paramedic says: Vinyl gloves sucketh mightily. Use different gloves for different things. My current favorites are light blue nitrile. XL are easier for me to get on, large are snug and make it easier to do delicate work like start IVs. FDNY used to get a brand called Uni Seal’s Hi-Risk unpowdered latex gloves that I liked mucho. They were replaced by another brand and now they’re going between 3 or 4 suppliers. I only like the older ones. Many people refer to them as “P2’s” after another manufacturer/brand of high risk gloves. I like regular latex exam gloves but hate powdered gloves with a passion. I have biggish hands and in many places where a high proportion of the staff is female there are rarely large or extra large gloves available. I always carry plenty of extra gloves on the job and a few pairs on me all the time off. There is a glove dispenser by MicroFlex called the Cuff First that is pretty nice. I got a free sample of it with a pack of each of the types of gloves they offer. I liked the gloves and wore the dispenser on my duty belt for about 2 months before an electric stretcher attacked and killed said belt. Was a handy way to carry gloves and might not be bad for a small pack of gloves that are protected for EDC in larger bags and cases. If I had access to the refills for free I’d use it full time. http://www.microflex.com/Products/Cuff-First-Dispensing-System.aspx The refills are around 4-5 bucks each depending on which ones you get. They have regular glvoes in 20 packs and extended cuffs in 10 packs, the extended cuff model meets NFPA standards if that’s an issue for you (won’t be for most).
-billNYC Paramedic says: Vinyl gloves sucketh mightily. Use different gloves for different things. My current favorites are light blue nitrile. XL are easier for me to get on, large are snug and make it easier to do delicate work like start IVs. FDNY used to get a brand called Uni Seal’s Hi-Risk unpowdered latex gloves that I liked mucho. They were replaced by another brand and now they’re going between 3 or 4 suppliers. I only like the older ones. Many people refer to them as “P2’s” after another manufacturer/brand of high risk gloves. I like regular latex exam gloves but hate powdered gloves with a passion. I have biggish hands and in many places where a high proportion of the staff is female there are rarely large or extra large gloves available. I always carry plenty of extra gloves on the job and a few pairs on me all the time off. There is a glove dispenser by MicroFlex called the Cuff First that is pretty nice. I got a free sample of it with a pack of each of the types of gloves they offer. I liked the gloves and wore the dispenser on my duty belt for about 2 months before an electric stretcher attacked and killed said belt. Was a handy way to carry gloves and might not be bad for a small pack of gloves that are protected for EDC in larger bags and cases. If I had access to the refills for free I’d use it full time. http://www.microflex.com/Products/Cuff-First-Dispensing-System.aspx The refills are around 4-5 bucks each depending on which ones you get. They have regular glvoes in 20 packs and extended cuffs in 10 packs, the extended cuff model meets NFPA standards if that’s an issue for you (won’t be for most).
-billNYC Paramedic says: Vinyl gloves sucketh mightily. Use different gloves for different things. My current favorites are light blue nitrile. XL are easier for me to get on, large are snug and make it easier to do delicate work like start IVs. FDNY used to get a brand called Uni Seal’s Hi-Risk unpowdered latex gloves that I liked mucho. They were replaced by another brand and now they’re going between 3 or 4 suppliers. I only like the older ones. Many people refer to them as “P2’s” after another manufacturer/brand of high risk gloves. I like regular latex exam gloves but hate powdered gloves with a passion. I have biggish hands and in many places where a high proportion of the staff is female there are rarely large or extra large gloves available. I always carry plenty of extra gloves on the job and a few pairs on me all the time off. There is a glove dispenser by MicroFlex called the Cuff First that is pretty nice. I got a free sample of it with a pack of each of the types of gloves they offer. I liked the gloves and wore the dispenser on my duty belt for about 2 months before an electric stretcher attacked and killed said belt. Was a handy way to carry gloves and might not be bad for a small pack of gloves that are protected for EDC in larger bags and cases. If I had access to the refills for free I’d use it full time. http://www.microflex.com/Products/Cuff-First-Dispensing-System.aspx The refills are around 4-5 bucks each depending on which ones you get. They have regular glvoes in 20 packs and extended cuffs in 10 packs, the extended cuff model meets NFPA standards if that’s an issue for you (won’t be for most).
-billwhen i took bio and chem lab we only used the purple nitrile ones. and im pretty sure they used those too, last time i donated blood. i liked the nitrile over the latex for better feel and they werent all dusty.
when i took bio and chem lab we only used the purple nitrile ones. and im pretty sure they used those too, last time i donated blood. i liked the nitrile over the latex for better feel and they werent all dusty.
+1 on purple nitrile gloves. I got them in my FAK as well as a bunch sitting in my desk at work for when I’m dealing with the messy stuff. Hydraulic fluid, 140wt gear oil, lithium grease, etc….
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.