Kraton pushes synthetic isoprene for surgeon's gloves

ERJ staff report (DS)

Houston, Texas -- Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. has presented a paper titled, "A Review of Synthetic Lattices in Surgical Glove Use," at the 13th International Latex Conference (ILC), the only US conference focusing on natural and synthetic latex, on July 26, 2011 in Akron, Ohio.

Kraton evaluated the mechanical properties of gloves made from varous latex materials in the following areas: tensile strength, modulus, and puncture resistance. Based on the observations, Kraton concluded that surgical gloves made with Cariflex Isoprene Rubber Latex offered mechanical protection comparable to natural rubber latex gloves. Further, surgical gloves made with Cariflex Isoprene Rubber Latex proved to be better than other synthetics in terms of comfort, and equal or even superior, to natural rubber latex gloves.

All of the gloves tested, including synthetic latex alternatives to natural rubber latex, met the ASTM standard for surgical gloves and offered mechanical protection comparable to natural rubber latex gloves. Those tested included natural rubber (NR) latex, chloroprene latex (CRL), Ziegler-Natta isoprene rubber latex (ZNIR), and Cariflex IR Latex, an anionic isoprene rubber (AnIR).

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A Review of Synthetic Lattices in Surgical Glove Use from Kraton

Press release from Kraton