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5 Posts in this encyclopedia categoryAccelerator
Accelerators (vulcanisation accelerators) are chemical auxiliaries used in the manufacture of latex and nitrile gloves to speed up vulcanisation. The main groups are thiurams, dithiocarbamates, and benzothiazoles. Accelerators are considered the primary trigger of Type IV contact allergies in glove users.
Allergen IV
Allergen IV denotes substances that trigger a Type IV allergy, a T-cell-mediated delayed-type reaction. In gloves these are chiefly vulcanisation accelerators such as thiurams, dithiocarbamates and benzothiazoles. The reaction presents as contact dermatitis typically 12 to 48 hours after exposure.
AQL
AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) defines the maximum acceptable defect rate within a tested production batch, using a statistically based sampling system per ISO 2859-1. For medical single-use gloves under EN 455-1, the AQL for the water-leak test is 1.5 for examination gloves and 0.65 for surgical gloves. A lower AQL means stricter quality requirements.
ASTM D6978
ASTM D6978 is the US test method for determining the permeation resistance of medical gloves to chemotherapy drugs. It is regarded as stricter than EN 16523-1 because it tests at 35 °C and applies a lower breakthrough threshold. For chemotherapy gloves it is the authoritative international reference test.
ASTM International
ASTM International is a US standardisation body that develops technical standards for materials, products, and processes. For medical gloves, ASTM standards such as ASTM D3578 (latex), ASTM D6319 (nitrile), and ASTM D5250 (vinyl) are the benchmark on the US market. ASTM standards differ in test methodology and limits from European EN standards.