Protective gloves are most closely associated with medical and dental laboratory use. However since these types of gloves are excellent in protecting your hands from a number of chemicals, latex gloves are now widely used in a number of industries and have become common in the household.

Latex gloves are manufactured using a milky fluid derived from the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis. A variety of chemicals are added to this fluid during the processing and manufacturing of a latex glove.

If protection is your major concern, there a few things you should know about Latex, Nitrile, and Vinyl gloves how they're made. There are three standard measures that protective gloves are scaled upon.

Medical Grade - For medical use. Highest grade of protection. These gloves are thoroughly tested to pass FDA requirements and exceed a broad range of demanding specifications.

Utility Grade - Not intended for medical use and not tested for FDA specifications. These gloves are great if detail is a necessity. Normally used for painting and general hand protection. They are manufactured to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) specifications.

High Risk - For use in the emergency medical services fields. High levels of testing are required to assure proper requirements.