Nitrile Gloves for Fentanyl Protection: A Guide for First Responders
By Aimee. Posted on October 7, 2020
Since the late 1990s, one of the most critical issues facing America has been an ongoing opioid epidemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives. From 1998 to 2018, the CDC reports that almost 450,000 people have died of an opioid overdose. In fact, the rates of opioid related deaths for Americans continue to steadily increase, to the point where the odds of dying of an overdose is now greater than the odds of dying in a motor vehicle accident. In the ongoing efforts to combat this epidemic, scientists, medical experts and law enforcement have traced the current wave of overdose related deaths back to a single potent drug: fentanyl. The following is a guide to nitrile gloves for fentanyl protection.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic (meaning lab made) opioid anesthetic used for surgery or for treating patients with high pain tolerances for other types of painkillers. In legal forms, fentanyl can be administered in a variety of ways, from patches, to injections, to even flavored lollipops. In illegal forms, fentanyl is often mixed with illicit substances such as cocaine, heroin, or within counterfeit drugs intended to pass off as other types of painkillers. Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine, and 50 times more potent than heroin. As such, the amount needed to overdose compared to heroin is significantly lower.
Protecting First Responders
For law enforcement and EMS in this ongoing crisis, there is a constant risk of exposure during emergency calls. As such, proper protection is critical. This includes proper hand protection. For hand protection the disposable glove of choice are black nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves are more durable than other types of gloves for longer use before discarding. More importantly, nitrile gloves are chemical and tear resistant. First responders must often deal with not just potential contact with drug substances but also bodily fluids. Illicit substances such as fentanyl or heroin may also be mixed with saliva, blood, and gastric acid from vomit. As such, it is critical that a first responder’s glove prevent all these things from their touching skin for as long as possible. Finally, a black color glove helps make detection of substances on one’s hands easy to see.
Black Nitrile Gloves for Fentanyl Protection
To assist first responders, Infi-Touch carries a variety of black nitrile gloves suitable for heavy duty work and handling of chemical substances. The following is a list of the black nitrile gloves Infi-Touch carries. For bulk orders, simply click on the pictures below:
Our bestselling Strong and Tough Black Nitrile Gloves are 5 mils thick, 9.5 inches in length, and are designed for heavy duty use in mind.
itrile Gloves are 6 mils thick and have an acrylic inner liner for increased comfort for sensitive hands. The additional inside layer also helps to further increase glove durability.
Confronting the fentanyl epidemic will require a concerted effort from policy makers, medical experts, as well as community leaders. Until then, it is essential that we look after our first responders on the frontline. The better prepared and protected they are in the line of duty, they better they can help opioid victims.