Glove innovation from Kimberly-Clark Professional™ offers protection, precision and comfort without compromise

For the most demanding scientific applications, you need a glove that offers the perfect balance of precision, protection and comfort.

Inadequate or compromised gloves can increase the risk of self-contamination or other injuries to the scientist, and the consequences can be significant:

- 30 percent of people who experience a hand injury were wearing the wrong kind of glove. (1)
- The indirect costs of an injury can be 4-10 times the amount of direct medical costs. (2)
- The average time off work for a hand injury is six days.(3)

While many gloves may look alike, not all gloves can protect the integrity of your science and the safety of your scientists. Here are some questions to ask when selecting gloves for your lab or cleanroom:

- Comfort –Are the gloves comfortable? Are they designed to minimize hand fatigue?
- Protection – What type of overall protection do the gloves provide? Do they shield the scientist from a wide range of chemicals?
- Precision – Are they strong enough to withstand the work conditions in your lab while offering tactile sensitivity, dexterity and good grip, even when wet?
- Disposal – What happens to your gloves after use? Are they sent to a landfill? Or can they be recycled?

The Kimtech™ Prizm™ difference

After extensive research and development, Kimberly-Clark Professional™ has introduced two new gloves that meet the criteria above: : Kimtech™ Prizm™ multi-layered neoprene nitrile gloves and Kimtech™ Prizm™ Xtra multi-layered neoprene nitrile gloves.

The gloves were developed specifically for higher risk lab environments in the biotech, non-sterile pharmaceutical and university research fields, where science and safety must work hand-in-hand. 

Designed for scientists by scientists, Kimtech™ Prizm™ gloves are crafted with a proprietary combination of polymers proven to protect against a wide range of common chemicals. An innovative technology ensures that the multi-layer neoprene-nitrile glove is one of the thinnest Type A certified gloves on the market, making it a top choice for the most demanding scientific applications.

Kimtech™ Prizm™ Gloves also offer:

- An enhanced fingertip grip helping to reduce the risk of drops and breakage, even when wet
- Certified ergonomic comfort and best-in-class dexterity, without compromising protection
- A vibrant colour combination of dark violet and dark magenta to serve as a quick cue if the laboratory glove has been cut, torn or damaged in any way during use
- Accelerator free donning layer, reducing the potential for skin irritation

The gloves are PPE Cat III certified according to PPE Regulations (EU) 2016/425 and EN ISO 374-1:2016 Type A (JKLMPT) chemical splash protection, EN ISO 374-5:2016 micro-organism and virus protection and tested according to ASTM D6978-05 against a wide range of cytotoxic drugs. They are latex and powder-free with a nitrile accelerator-free donning layer to reduce the risk of allergic reactions. Ambidextrous with a beaded cuff for strength, the gloves are available in a wide range of sizes to ensure proper fit.

A second life

In addition to these benefits, the gloves can be recycled through The RightCycle™ Programme. This groundbreaking service enables research and manufacturing facilities, universities and a variety of businesses to collect previously hard-to-recycle items, such as Kimberly-Clark Professional™ nitrile gloves and single-use apparel items, and convert them into new consumer goods. 

1 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2 Safety Management Group.
3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.