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What Is EN 374:2016?
Protection from Chemicals and Microorganisms
The EN 374:2016 Standard specifies the capability of gloves to protect the user against chemicals and/or microorganisms. The standard consists of 5 parts:
| Part | Description |
|---|---|
| EN ISO 374-1:2016 | Terminology and performance requirements for chemical risks |
| EN 374-2:2014 | Determination of resistance to penetration |
| EN 16523-1:2015 | Determination of material resistance to permeation by chemicals (replacing EN 374-3:2003) |
| EN 374-4:2013 | Determination of resistance to degradation by chemicals |
| EN ISO 374-5:2016 | Terminology and performance requirements for microorganism risks (including viruses) |
Definition of Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Penetration | The movement of a chemical and/or microorganisms through porous materials, seams, pinholes, or other imperfections in a protective glove material at a non-molecular level. |
| Permeation | The process by which a chemical moves through a protective glove material at a molecular level. |
| Degradation | The change in one or more physical characteristics of a glove caused by contact with a chemical. Indications of degradation are flaking, swelling, disintegration, embrittlement, color change, dimensional change, appearance, hardening, softening, etc. |
EN ISO 374-1:2016: Terminology and Performance Requirements for Chemical Risks
The new standard includes 6 additional chemicals (highlighted in bold in the table below) in addition to the 12 chemicals existing in the 2003 standard:
| Chemical | CAS Number | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Methanol | 67-56-1 | Primary alcohol |
| B | Acetone | 67-64-1 | Ketone |
| C | Acetonitrile | 75-05-8 | Nitrile compound |
| D | Dichloromethane | 75-09-2 | Chlorinated hydrocarbon |
| E | Carbon disulphide | 75-15-0 | Sulphur-containing organic |
| F | Toluene | 108-88-3 | Aromatic hydrocarbon |
| G | Diethylamine | 109-89-7 | Amine |
| H | Tetrahydrofuran | 109-99-9 | Heterocyclic and ether compound |
| I | Ethyl acetate | 141-78-6 | Ester |
| J | n-Heptane | 142-85-5 | Saturated hydrocarbon |
| K | Sodium hydroxide 40% | 1310-73-2 | Inorganic base |
| L | Sulphuric acid 96% | 7664-93-9 | Inorganic mineral acid, oxidizing |
| M | Nitric acid 65% | 7697-37-2 | Inorganic mineral acid, oxidizing |
| N | Acetic acid 99% | 64-19-7 | Organic acid |
| O | Ammonium Hydroxide 25% | 1336-21-6 | Organic base |
| P | Hydrogen peroxide 30% | 7722-84-1 | Peroxide |
| S | Hydrogen fluoride 40% | 7664-39-3 | Inorganic mineral acid, contact poison |
| T | Formaldehyde 37% | 50-00-0 | Aldehyde |
Each chemical tested is classified in terms of breakthrough time. Breakthrough is deemed to have occurred when the flow rate of 1 µg/cm2/min is reached.
Gloves are now separated into 3 classification types based on permeation performance - TYPE A, TYPE B or TYPE C.
The measured breakthrough time for each chemical determines the performance level of the gloves:
| Performance Level | Measured Breakthrough Time |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | > 10 minutes |
| Level 2 | > 30 minutes |
| Level 3 | > 60 minutes |
| Level 4 | > 120 minutes |
| Level 5 | > 240 minutes |
| Level 6 | > 480 minutes |