RESISTANCE OF GLOVES TO PERMEATION BY CHEMOTHERAPY DRUGS

摘要

Permeation is the process by which a chemical passes through a barrier - in this case, the glove material. This occurs at a molecular level (in a process similar to osmosis) and, in many instances, the process of permeation does not cause any physical change to the glove. To test the permeation resistance, a representative specimen of the glove is clamped between two halves of a permeation cell, with the drug on one side and the collection solution on the other. The resistance of gloves to permeation by chemotherapy drugs is determined by measuring the time taken for the maximum permitted permeation rate to be achieved - also called the 'breakthrough time'. This breakthrough time is expressed as the amount (in pg) of challenge chemical per surface area (in cm~2) of the test specimen per minute.