Ansell Expands Touch N Tuff® Product Line with Two Latex-Free Gloves for Sterile Environments Sterile, Single-Use Gloves Maximize Comfort and Performance without Risk of Allergy
April 9, 2013, Iselin, NJ, - Ansell, a global leader in protection solutions, today announces it has added Touch N Tuff 83-500 Sterile Polyisoprene Gloves and Touch N Tuff 93-700 Sterile Nitrile Gloves to its industry-leading HyFlex product offering. New latex-free Touch N Tuff gloves were developed in response to a global study conducted among more than 130 wearers of single-use gloves across the life sciences segments.
The study found that fit and comfort, along with using a material other than latex, were important factors to glove wearers. The new Touch N Tuff gloves address both factors while maintaining the strength and durability necessary to fulfill the dual roles of protecting wearers from contact with potentially dangerous chemicals or agents, and protecting products from contamination by bare hands.
The global pharmaceutical market is expected to grow to more than $975 billion in sales by 2013, thereby increasing the need for sterile manufacturing environments. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the primary tool used in sterile environments to prevent product contamination and minimize worker contact with chemical agents, has historically centered on natural rubber latex gloves. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates as many as 17 percent of people are allergic to latex. The pharmaceutical industry, therefore, has started moving away from using natural rubber gloves. In creating the Touch N Tuff Sterile glove series, Ansell worked closely with customers to understand their unique needs.
“The Ansell Touch N Tuff series is an industry leading example of our continual commitment to safety, quality and innovation to meet the ever growing needs and demands of the glove market,” said Bob Gaither, Senior Vice President and Regional Director - North America. “The Touch N Tuff 83-500 and 93-700 gloves offer new, latex-free solutions that minimize the risk of allergic reactions, while delivering superior protection without compromising comfort and tactility to ensure better employee compliance.”
Touch N Tuff 83-500 gloves are constructed with polyisoprene, a polymer designed to mimic the structure and attributes of natural rubber, providing wearers with a “second skin” fit and feel that delivers greater comfort and tactility without the risk of latex sensitization. In designing the Touch N Tuff 83-500, Ansell combined its expertise from successful applications of polyisoprene in other Ansell products with its patent-pending SureFit Technology. The result is a glove which fits securely to the forearm and prevents the cuff from rolling down, maintaining the integrity of a sterile environment. The glove also offers an enhanced anti-slip finish on the surface of the fingers and palm for a higher degree of grip in both wet and dry work environments.
Utilizing the chemical resistance of nitrile, Touch N Tuff 93-700 gloves offer robust performance and chemical protection. Designed for sterile environments, Touch N Tuff 93-700 gloves provide a high level of chemical splash exposure resistance for a wide range of chemicals while maintaining an enhanced degree of comfort, longer cuffs for forearm safety, and textured fingertips for optimal grip performance. Laboratory tests also indicate that the gloves are four times more puncture-and tear-resistant than latex alternatives and maximize protection and provide superior comfort customary to the Touch N Tuff brand.
Touch N Tuff single-use gloves deliver superior protection, first-rate puncture and abrasion resistance and exceptional performance. The combination of an ultra-thin construction and high chemical protection in a single glove allows manufacturers to find security where light-duty, chemical-splash protection is required. Since its inception in the early 1990s, Touch N Tuff products have empowered workers with a range of single-use gloves designed to provide the ideal balance between comfort, performance and product consistency.
For more information about Ansell Touch N Tuff 83-500 Sterile Polyisoprene and Touch N Tuff 93-700 Sterile Nitrile gloves or other protective gloves, apparel and safety solutions, visit www.ansellpro.com or call + 800 800 0444 in the US. In Canada, visit www.ansellcanada.ca or call + 1 800 363 8340.