Medical, Nursing, Dental and Veterinary Technology Schools Will Appreciate FDA-Approved, Sustainable, Latex-Free Examination Gloves for Their Clinics and Labs

There are hundreds of medical, nursing, dental and vet tech colleges and universities throughout the United States offering specialized education and training for aspiring healthcare professionals. Students receive firsthand training in state-of-the-art facilities to prepare them for real-world practice. Part of the clinical curriculum includes educating students about the proper use of personal protective equipment (P.P.E.) such as facemasks, face shields, isolation gowns and single-use nitrile examination gloves.

A GROWING CONCERN

Single-use nitrile exam gloves are a first line defense and critical to protecting faculty, students, staff and patients from infectious agents and potential cross-contamination. Because they are designed to be worn for short durations, these protective gloves are frequently changed-out several times a day, then disposed into the trash landfill where they take hundreds of years to decompose or sent to a medical waste incinerator. Clinical consumption has students and staff beckoning for green glove alternatives for their training clinics and testing laboratories to protect the environment and assuage “glove guilt.”

The extensive use of non-degradable P.P.E. is wreaking havoc on the planet leading to an accumulation of waste in landfills, with potential consequences for leachates and the bioaccumulation of microplastics. Diverting and treating 180 billion pairs (one million tons) of industry residues while exploring more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as biodegradable P.P.E., is now crucial as experts predict that the United States is on track to run out of capacity in landfills by the year 2036.

A NEW SOLUTION

Sustainable sourcing has arrived, and with its arrival are new landfill-friendly and incinerator-friendly single-use nitrile exam gloves that will not bust budgets or sacrifice protection, comfort, or performance.

MDS Associates is thrilled to announce that college Deans, clinical directors, laboratory managers, infection control officers, students and faculty now have an Eco-Friendly and affordable single-use hand protection option for their clinics.

Newly available is an innovative portfolio of third-party validated, sustainable nitrile exam gloves from SW® Sustainability Solutions – a Certified B Corporation. Malaysian-made, these high-quality latex-free nitrile gloves meet all current FDA standards and fit, feel and perform like traditional gloves but are healthier for the hands, and our environment.

LANDFILL FRIENDLY

SW’s sustainable nitrile examination gloves meet ASTM D5511/D5526 biodegradability standards and feature special EcoTek® proprietary glove additives that results in healthy compost soil.

INCINERATION FRIENDLY

Incinerating EcoTek® nitrile gloves is also a disposal method that is sustainable, as the combustion process converts the gloves into harmless byproducts. The ash residue can be safely disposed, while the gases produced can be filtered to minimize emissions. If your facility incinerates its medical waste, you will be happy to learn that third-party testing on SW® nitrile exam gloves revealed that the EcoTek® brand nitrile produced:

• 7% less CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions
• 55% less NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide) emissions
• 81% less SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) emissions
• 56% less TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Carbon) emissions
• 48% less CO (Carbon Monoxide) emissions during incineration compared to regular nitrile gloves

HEALING TECHNOLOGIES

Designed for sensitive skin, and with clinical and lab professionals, instructors and students who wear gloves all-day, every day in mind, EcoTek® nitrile gloves from SW® Sustainable Solutions are crafted from a unique blend of Skin Health Alliance® (SHA) approved materials that promote healthy skin without compromising performance, comfort or fit. Also available are EcoTek® medical exam nitrile gloves that feature moisturizing technologies as well as glove technologies that wick moisture from perspiring hands.

SW® Sustainability Solutions EcoTek® nitrile exam gloves aim to do the least harm to the environment while protecting users from pathogens and chemicals. Durable, comfortable, and safe for both users and the environment, EcoTek® is re-innovating sustainability with clinically proven technology.

MDS can make your clinical glove conversion easy! Please contact us today for clinical evaluation samples, more information, and non-published institutional discounted pricing.