Latex gloves fire hazard

Working with chemicals, I have learned that latex gloves are much
easier on my hands. It was with some alarm that I read the following
article in a New York paper. I was on vacation and clipped it, but
do not remember which paper it was, but probably the Daily News.

Week of Aug. 5-11, 1995

    Gloves Fingered in Navy Yard Blaze
    By Dan Janison

    Investigators have determined that last weeks Brooklyn Navy
    Yard fire was triggered by  a spontaneous explosion in a case of
    latex gloves. This bizarre discovery has set off warnings
    nationwide.

    Fire Commissioner Howard Safir announced the surprise finding
    yesterday as fire marshals and federal probers ruled out earlier
    suspicions of arson in the major blaze.

    "We want to make sure the public is aware of a dangerous
    situation, to prevent tragedies" Safir said as he displayed the
    burned gloves.

    Chemical components of the surgical gloves from SJS Supreme
    Inc. of  Yerba Linda, CA apparently react by themselves in hot weather
    because of polymers used in their manufacture, lab tests indicate.

    Tim Mustard, national sales manager for SJS, said he believed
    the problem was "probably" confined to a single lot of 500
    cartons containing 10,000 20-glove packages. "that particular
    product is no longer being distributed," he said.

    The gloves, made in China, are called Partners Powder-Free
    Examination Gloves.

    Authorities scrambling to trace the gloves warned anyone who has
    them to keep them *outside*, away from any structure and
    immediately contact the distributor.

Since those of us who use latex gloves, frequently have them near
chemicals, I think that it is important for  us to be assured that
our suppliers are not using gloves with the polymers which are
combustible. Perhaps AIC. can survey distributors to assure us
that we will not have sudden fires in our labs.

Mel A. Hardin

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:18
                Distributed: Wednesday, August 23, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-18-009
                                  ***