Effects of Exposure Time, Material Type, and Granular Pesticide on Glove Contamination

Chemical-resistant gloves are recommended for pesticide applicators to reduce their exposure to agricultural chemicals. In this research, three chemical-resistant glove materials—nitrile, neoprene, and barrier laminate—were studied in relation to contamination with granular terbufos and tefluthrin. Surfaces of specimens backed with alpha cellulose were contaminated with 300 mg of either granular terbufos or tefluthrin for 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, 16-, and 24-h time periods in petri dishes in the laboratory. Residues were extracted using ethyl acetate for terbufos and iso-octane for tefluthrin in test tubes for 24 h. Analysis of extracts by gas chromatograph and statistical analysis of the data showed that contamination levels varied with the time of exposure, material type, and pesticide used. Pesticide was not detected in the alpha cellulose even after 24 h contamination time. A linear relationship was found between contamination level and exposure time for terbufos in the three materials, with longer exposure times causing higher contamination levels. Contamination of nitrile was significantly less than neoprene or barrier laminate. Exposed glove materials contained higher levels of contamination of terbufos than tefluthrin.