JustriteFlammableCabinet 45 Gallon

Nitrile is a synthetic rubber material that offers chemical and abrasion resistance and is a very good general-duty material for gloves.

A glove that is too small for your hand will be over-stretched, which stresses the material and makes it less protective.  A glove that is too large may compromise dexterity and may also become more easily damaged during use.  Use the manufacturer's size chart to choose an appropriate fit.

OutdoorFlammableStorage Cabinet

This fact sheet provides some general guidelines about the compatibility of nitrile rubber with common lab chemicals.  You can print a PDF of the compatibility information to post in your lab.  Posting this information is not a requirement.  The attachment can be downloaded from the link at the bottom of this Fact Sheet.

There are buildings on campus which have cabinets that do not meet the above requirements but are currently being used as flammable liquid storage cabinets.  These cabinets are often located under the sinks or under fume hoods.  Some examples are shown below:

Accelerator-free nitrile glove products are available for people who have sensitivity to standard nitrile gloves.  One example is pictured here:  Hourglass International™ HandPRO™ FreeStyle1100 Nitrile Exam Gloves

OSHAflammablestorage cabinet requirements

In addition to their superior chemical resistance profile, another reason that nitrile gloves are used instead of latex in Penn research labs is to avoid the skin allergies that can be caused by the proteins in the latex rubber.  It is possible, however, for some individuals to be sensitive to the accelerators (chemical additives) in nitrile.

Note:  For the purpose of this Fact Sheet, the term "disposable nitrile gloves" refers to gloves that are one-time use and have a thickness of 5-mil and less.  Examples are given in the tables at the end of the fact sheet.

Flammable liquid storage cabinets do not need to be vented and any vents should be sealed with the bung provided by the manufacturer (4.3.4).  All cabinets must be marked with “FLAMMABLE – KEEP FIRE AWAY” in “conspicuous” lettering (4.3.5).  At Penn, we do not require free-standing cabinets to be vented, but under-hood cabinets may be vented into the hood using vent kits provided by the manufacturer.

UsedFlammableCabinet

Glove thickness is usually given in the unit mils, which is equal to one one-thousandth of an inch; therefore, a glove that is 10 mil, is 0.010 inches thick.  A thicker gauge glove will provide more protection than a thinner glove of the same material, but often at the expense of touch-sensitivity and dexterity.

NFPA 30 states a flammable liquid storage cabinet must be “constructed to limit the internal temperature at the center of the cabinet and 1 inch from the top of the cabinet to 325 degrees F, when subjected to a 10-minute fire test” (30 4.3.3(a)). Therefore, there are specific construction requirements.

SmallFlammableStorage Cabinet

The tables below show some nitrile glove products from common vendors.  They are grouped by recommended use type based on the glove thickness and the manufacturer's chemical-compatibility testing data (for those who provided it).

*Disposable nitrile gloves of 8-mil thickness or greater will provide short term (15 minute) splash protection against HF.  An appropriately rated chemical-resistant glove is required if prolonged contact with HF is anticipated.  For more information about HF see the FACT SHEET:  Hydrofluoric Acid in the Chemical Hygiene Plan.

Flammablestorage cabinet requirements

Less than 5 gallons (approximately 20 L) of flammable liquids can be stored in these cabinets.  Larger quantities will require the purchase of a flammable liquid storage cabinet.  For purchasing questions, contact us at ehrs@ehrs.upenn.edu.

JustriteFlammableCabinet

This is not an exhaustive list of available gloves.  Please consult the manufacturer's product data sheets for complete specifications.

In general, nitrile provides very little protection* against the following common organic chemicals.  If gloves come in contact with these chemicals, they must be changed immediately to avoid exposure.

Soiled gloves can contaminate objects and surfaces, later exposing you to chemical hazards.  When this occurs, you can unknowingly be exposed to chemical hazards.  If you do experience an acute health effect, it can be difficult to determine which chemical was the source of the exposure.

JustriteFlammableCabinet manual

Glove removal (or "doffing") must be done carefully to avoid contact with the outside of the glove. Always wash your hands after disposing of the gloves.

In general, nitrile rubber provides short-term splash protection against the following chemicals. Breakthrough will not occur in under 15 mins for a 5-mil or greater thickness glove.

Double-gloving can be used to increase the total breakthrough time of a particular glove, but this increases hand fatigue and overheating and is recommended only for short-duration tasks.

It is important to remember that laboratory testing data does not take into account the effects of hand movement and body temperature.  The actual protection will be less for a glove that is being worn and stressed during use.

Thin, disposable, nitrile gloves are the most common gloves used when handling chemicals in laboratories; however, it is important to remember that thin nitrile rubber provides only limited chemical protection.  These gloves are intended to be used only as a physical barrier against brief contact with chemicals, and they need to be removed and discarded immediately after they become contaminated.

All Class I, Class II and Class IIIA flammable liquids in containers 1 gallon and greater must be stored in a flammable liquids storage cabinet (NFPA 30 4.3.1).  Flammable liquids storage cabinets that meet the construction requirements of NFPA 30-4.3.3, or are custom built and tested in accordance with section NFPA 30-4.3.3(a), or meet the requirements of UL 1275 are acceptable.