Glove Protection from Glutaraldehyde Exposure

Glutaraldehyde is an effective disinfectant and chemical sterilant with strong bacterial, antiviral and fungicidal properties...

Usually, you are aware that you are using a glutaraldehyde solution and can take the recommended precautions for exposure protection. However, some glutaraldehyde uses are not as apparent. You should be aware that you may be exposed to glutaraldehyde during the following applications.

Cleaning of Dental, Medical, Endoscopic and Lensed Instruments
Glutaraldehyde is most commonly used as a cleaning disinfectant to sterilize medical and dental equipment. Other applications may include the disinfection of GI endoscopes, bronchoscopes, cystoscopes, proctoscopes, fiber-optic sigmoidoscopes, laryngoscopes, mirrors, etc.

Clinical Laboratory and Electron Microscopy
In the laboratory, glutaraldehyde may be used in histology, cytology, toxicology and electron microscopy. Be aware of what chemicals are used in your embedding media, stains and reagents.

Surgery and Transplantation
Glutaraldehyde is used in the cross-linking and detoxification process for transplantation and heart valve prosthesis. Although you may not be involved in the actual tissue preparation, you may still be a link in the transplant or prosthesis team.

Choosing the Appropriate Glove Protection
When working with glutaraldehyde, various gloving options are available. The ASTM F1407-96 (Standard Method for Resistance of Chemical Protective Clothing Materials to Liquid Permeation-Permeation Cup Method) provides an industry standard procedure to test for chemical permeation through various materials.

Recommendations
Though various gloving options are available, clinical requirements and personal protection determine the use of an appropriate hand covering. It is recommended that heavy-duty utility gloves made from butyl or nitrile rubber be used as a hand covering when manually reprocessing instrumentation with glutaraldehyde solutions. If this glove type is not available or the mechanics involved with reprocessing and cleaning require a refined level of manual dexterity, the following is recommended:

	Double glove with two Flexam® Latex Exam Gloves
	Change both gloves every 15 minutes

If the procedural requirements dictate the use of a sterile latex surgical glove, the following is recommended:

	Double glove with two sterile Triflex® Latex Surgical Gloves
	Change both gloves every 15 minutes

If the procedure and clinical requirements dictate the use of a latex-free surgical glove, the Duraprene™ Synthetic Surgical Glove is recommended following similar guidelines.

References
"AORN Standard Recommended Practices and Guidelines," AORN Journal 67, no. 4 (1998): 209-214.

"Cidex™ Activated Dialdehyde Solution," ASP Material Safety Data Sheet, MSDS:006.

DiPrima, T.R. and Nigro, M., "Contact Dermatitis from Glutaraldehyde," Contact Dermatitis 19, no. 3 (1988): 219-220.

Henderson, E. and Louie, T., "Sterilization and Disinfection: Helpful Hints in Office Practice," Canadian Journal of CME, September 1993, 73-80.

Please Note...
Results referenced in this article are for Cardinal Health, Medical Products and Services products only.

Other manufacturers' gloves results and recommendations may vary.

Test Method
Breakthrough time was reported as the time at which the measurable concentration of 1 ppm in the low side was detected.

All tests were done using single glove film exposed to Cidex™ Plus 28 Day Solution.