Chemical Engineering February 2018 - 43

bacteria and fungus. Wetness inside
a single-use glove hinders users' ability
to perform certain job functions by
limiting dexterity, tactility and mobility.
It can also become a safety hazard,
since some workers will forego
gloves altogether, rather than deal
with the sticky, oppressive feeling of
a wet glove [1].
Standard single-use gloves provide
a non-permeable barrier that
protects workers' hands in light-duty
work environments. However, they
also create a highly undesirable result
- a harsh, occlusive environment
between the glove and hand that can
negatively impact hand health and,
ultimately, job performance. Lack of
airflow inside the gloved hand inhibits
proper regulation of the skin environment,
glove friction from repeatedly
rubbing against the skin harms
the upper skin layers, and higher
temperatures within
the
glove
increase
perspiration and discomfort.
Additionally, this occlusive environment
serves as a breeding ground
for bacteria, fungus and other nasty
elements that can negatively impact
hand health in many ways, especially
given that the skin on human hands
is much thinner than on other parts
of the body.
Imagine wearing a single-use glove
in the workplace for hours at a time
over a period of days, months and
even years. Add in the fact that your
hands are " working hard " inside the
glove while you grip, move, rub and
so on, to complete your work tasks.
This leads to friction and mechanical
abrasion of the skin further exacerbating
an already difficult hand environment.
Hand skin layers can become
macerated, reducing the skin's
ability to react defensively to external
substances, and exposing the skin
to even more serious afflictions.
Skin biology
From a physical perspective, where
the hand first comes in contact with
the occlusive environment, the acid
mantle is disrupted and the stratum
corneum - the outer most layer of
the skin - can become compromised.
The outermost section of skin
(stratus corneum) has three layers
itself. The innermost layer is the actual
barrier that regulates absorption
into the body. The outermost layer
contains cells that, although are not
dead cells, have no development
process left - they merely serve
as the frontline in regulating moisture
within the body and keeping
unwanted elements out. The middle
layer exhibits properties of both the
outer and inner sections, a kind of
mixing of the two functions.
As the occlusive environment persists,
deeper damage begins to take
place with the skin structure. Proteins
and lipids are stripped away, so skin
is unable to keep its natural moisture
intact. Barrier protection begins to
break down. While sweat contains
small amounts of salt and miniscule
levels of other waste products, it is
predominantly water, and that is what
causes most of the damage from prolonged
exposure. It can take as little
as 72 hours of exposure to water,
whether in sweat or elsewhere, to
cause significant skin damage [2].
With an occlusive glove environment
wrapped around the hands during an
eight-hour workday, skin health can
be impaired to the point of injury in
less than two weeks.
Skin pH is slightly acidic, ranging
from 4.0 to 6.5 in a normal environment.
Inside an SU glove, your hand
loses moisture (sweats) and pH levels
quickly rise, further affecting the
skin surface and underlying layers.
The skin's ability to regulate its surface
diminishes, and the resulting
alkaline environment can actually accelerate
bacterial growth. The longer
the glove remains on your hand, the
more damaging this occlusive environment
becomes, increasing the
likelihood of skin dryness, redness
and irritation.
Over time, health risks for workers
from uncomfortable SU gloves
can greatly decrease productivity,
encourage more frequent workplace
safety violations and increase the
risk of significant medical issues, all
of which lead to much higher costs
for employers. By limiting hand functionality,
perspiration may hinder a
worker's ability to perform certain
job functions, or cause them to
change gloves more frequently. Yet,
repeatedly alternating from a wet to
dry environment, like donning and
removing several pairs of gloves a
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Chemical Engineering February 2018

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