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MedPride Powder-Free Nitrile Exam Gloves, Large, Box/100 available at Amazon

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nitrile gloves were one of the unsung heroes of modern sanitation, essential to healthcare, the food service industry, automotive mechanics, gardeners, sanitation workers and more.

Alrisco Nitrile Gloves, Profession Grade,Disposable,Food Safe,Non Latex,Powder Free, 4 mil Thickness

Now, in the midst of the pandemic, we’re perched at the edge of a dangerous shortage of nitrile gloves: The top manufacturer in the world is banned from importing to the U.S., need is higher than ever, and there’s only one domestic manufacturer.

“Pre-COVID, 100 billion nitrile gloves were disposed of annually,” says Brian Moseley, R&D Technical Manager at Showa Group, the only U.S. manufacturer of nitrile, single-use PPE gloves. “After COVID, our projections are 150 billion for the year.”

If you have a use for nitrile, rubber, or otherwise protective gloves, there are two key things you can do to help preserve the supply for medical professionals:

“If you’re talking about the hazard of virus protection, that is the 4 mil Nitrile product,” Moseley explains. “What people need to look for is the virus testing that is on the dispenser. They should be able to call the company and get the test.”

Nitrile Powder Free Gloves, 4 Mil (Currently prioritized for organizations on the front lines responding to COVID-19)

While the CDC advises that gloves are “not necessary in most situations, like running errands,” they can be important when caring for someone who is sick or disinfecting your home.

To find out if nitrile gloves are resistant to coronavirus, you want to make sure they pass the test designated EN ISO 374-5:2016. “That’s the test to make sure the virus will not penetrate the glove,” Moseley explained.

Beyond that, if you’re looking at gloves for gardening or other precautions around your home, you want to keep in mind the primary advantages of nitrile as a substance:

But there’s no reason to guess.

“People mention chemicals, but they don’t realize how many hundreds of thousands of chemicals are out there,” Moseley explained. “We have a database called Chemrest.com. People can get on that website and look up a specific chemical and a specific glove and it’ll tell them exactly what glove they should use and how long they should use it for.”

Once you know your needs, you can make an informed decision, starting with the options below.

SHOWA 9905PF N-Dex Nitrile Glove, Powder Free

SHOWA 727-09 Nitrile Unlined Chemical Resistant Glove

MedPride Powder-Free Nitrile Exam Gloves, Large, Box/100

AMMEX Gloveworks HD Industrial Green Nitrile Gloves with Diamond Texture Grip, Box of 100, 8 mil

ChromaCast Defense Disposable Clear Nylon Work Bench Gloves

Ambitex Large Vinyl Gloves V5201 Series 100 Count

Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Working Gloves for Women and Men

Disposable Latex - Powder Free, Rubber, Non Sterile, Ambidextrous - 100 box

Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.

Joshua Sargent is the Senior News Editor, Commerce, for Hearst Newspapers. Before this job he wrote video games and comedy, which probably just made you say "ah, yeah, that makes sense."

Josh can play the guitar solo from Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" almost exactly right and lives in Brooklyn, NY with a cat that "belongs" to him according to the "law."

Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.