Medical Gloves Defined 医疗手套提供的防护

　　Exam-grade gloves, often referred to as medical gloves, were originally designed for non-surgical medical procedures. They differ from industrial-grade gloves due to one factor: rigorous factory-level testing. This testing is based on acceptable quality limits (AQL) set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. An AQL limit sets a standard for how many gloves within a batch can fail testing. A low AQL (meaning a small number of defective gloves) for exam-grade gloves is necessary to ensure the glove is of a high enough quality that it can provide the proper barrier protection against extreme risks.

　　检查手套，通常是指医用手套，最初用于非医疗手术领域。它们因需要经过严格的出厂测试所以不同于工业级别的手套。这种测试是根据由美国食品和药物管理局设定的“可接受的质量限(AQL)”来的。AQL设置了一个批次内不合格手套数量的标准。对于检查手套，低值的AQL(是指手套次品数量少)是必备的，这样才能确保手套拥有高质量，才能确保手套在抵御风险时提供合适的保护屏障。

　　Applications that require exam-grade gloves (in addition to medical and dental) include any industry where biological hazards are a concern. This includes care giving, beauty, and tattoo services. Workers in these professions come into direct contact with the blood of the customers they are serving. Having exam-grade gloves protects them from the possibility of being infected by blood borne pathogens.

　　需要检查手套的场合(除了医疗和牙科)包括那些关注生物性危害的行业，如护理业，美容美发业，纹身行业。在这些行业的工作人员会直接接触到他们所服务客户的血液。戴上检查手套，能够帮他们抵御血源性疾病感染。

　　AQL measures the quality of a batch of gloves as a percentage. For example, exam-grade gloves must have an AQL of 2.5 or lower. This means that in a batch of exam-grade gloves, only 1.5% of the batch can fail the test (2.5 gloves out of a batch of 100.) A batch of gloves that fails the test will be labeled for industrial use only.

　　AQL是以百分比的形式来测试一批手套的质量。例如，检查手套的AQL是2.5或更低，就意味着这批手套的次品率是1.5%(100副中有2.5副手套不合格)。未通过测试的手套只能用于工业。

　　When buying exam-grade gloves, there are several materials to choose from:

　　当要购买检查手套时，有这些材质可以选择：

　　Latex

　　乳胶

　　Medical gloves have long been made from latex rubber, a natural material that can be turned into a thin protective barrier without sacrificing dexterity and sensitivity to touch. Latex gloves have been the standard in healthcare since their development in the 1940’s. Latex is preferred because it is the most comfortable glove material.

　　长期以来，医疗手套使用乳胶材料制成。这是一种天然的材料，在不牺牲灵巧性和灵敏度的同时还能提供超薄的防护功效。早在20世纪40年代发展以来，乳胶手套就被放入医疗保健的标准之列。乳胶材料之所以被喜爱，缘于它是最舒适的手套材料。

　　However, due to a growing number of latex allergies, many healthcare professionals are gravitating towards latex-free exam-gloves. In fact, long-term exposure to latex can aggravate a minor allergy, affecting medical personnel as well as patients.

　　然而，出现了越来越多的乳胶过敏症状，许多医疗专业人士都开始倾向于使用无乳胶蛋白的检查手套。实际表明，长时间接触乳胶，会加剧原本轻微的乳胶过敏，影响医护人员和病人。

　　If you work with a large variety of people every day, it is safer to use a latex alternative in your work place.

　　如果你每天需要检查大量的病患，在工作中使用乳胶替代品会更加安全。

　　Vinyl

　　乙烯基

　　The last option in exam-glove material is vinyl. At a lower cost than latex or nitrile, vinyl is a good latex-free medical glove option for those who go through frequent glove changes. However, it provides a looser fit than latex or nitrile gloves. This is why it’s best for short-duration tasks. Like nitrile, vinyl offers good protection against chemicals. So if you come across blood borne pathogens and work with chemicals while changing your gloves frequently, vinyl is the best choice for your work place.

　　检查手套的下一个选择就是乙烯基手套。如果需要频繁地更换手套，乙烯基手套是无乳胶蛋白医疗手套中的一个好选择，比乳胶和丁腈的成本要低。然而，它没有乳胶和丁腈手套贴手,这就是它为什么适用于短频快的工作任务。和丁腈一样，乙烯基耐化学性。所以，当你需要频繁更换手套以避免接触到以血液传播的病原体或化学试剂时，乙烯基就是最好的选择。

　　Nitrile

　　丁腈

　　One of the best latex-alternatives is nitrile. This material has the benefit of conforming to the wearer’s hand once the material reaches body temperature. For this reason, latex gloves aren’t the only option if you want a good fit and feel. Nitrile also has the benefit of being more chemically resistant. In fact, it is recommended for use with most common chemicals. So if you work in an environment where you encounter biological and chemical hazards, nitrile is the best choice.

　　丁腈是最好的乳胶替代品之一。这种材料有着根据人体温度自动贴合手部的优势。正因如此，乳胶手套不再是你希望获得贴合舒适体验的唯一选择。丁腈具备防化学性物质的优势。事实上，对于常用化学试剂而言，它被广为推荐。所以，如果你在具有生物和化学危害的环境下工作，丁腈是最好的选择。

　　Regardless of which glove material you choose, make sure they are labeled exam-grade! Without receiving an AQL score, disposable gloves are not suited for medical purposes.

　　先不管你要选择哪一种材质的手套，首先要确保他们是合格的检查手套。没有AQL的分值，一次性手套就不适用于医疗用途。

　　Did you know: the medical glove industry is estimated to grow to 6.5 billion by 2020?

　　还有，你知道吗?医疗手套的市场容量将在2020年达到65亿美金!