Glove Intelligent Assistant
08.29.2023
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At SW, we champion both environmental sustainability and skin safety as integral components of our company philosophy and praxis. Our products are third party certified by the Skin Health Alliance (SHA) to prioritize our customer’s skin health without negatively impacting the environment. As discussed in previous weeks Ask GIA blogs, many nitrile or neoprene glove allergies stem from the addition of harsh chemicals used during the glove manufacturing process. Usually harsh chemical accelerators will be used in the process to create the synthetic rubber polymers of nitrile and neoprene. If harsh chemicals are used, they must be transparently labeled so customers are aware of the product’s quality and composition before purchasing the gloves. In fact, California has a law that enforces businesses and manufacturers to list certain chemicals if they are used in the manufacturing of their product.
Proposition 65 was ratified into law in November 1986 in a 63-37 majority vote. The Proposition is known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. It requires that businesses be transparent about the significant chemical exposures Californians may come into contact with when using their products. In particular, the proposition specifies these chemicals to be carcinogens, mutagens, or teratogens. Carcinogens are chemicals that may cause cancer. Mutagens are chemicals that can affect the reproductive cells of humans. Lastly, teratogens are chemicals that cause birth defects or malformations of embryos.
All products that may put Californians at risk must carry warning labels if they are sold in state. The law was proposed to prevent “…any person in the course of doing business [from knowingly discharging]…or releasing a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.…without first giving clear and reasonable warning”(Section 25249.5.). The proposition will penalize any businesses that leak chemicals into sources of drinking water for Californians as well. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is the governing body that enforces proposition 65.
However, this blog will focus more on the mandatory list of chemicals California must publish that have the potential to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. The list of chemicals that require labeling consist of Abiraterone acetate, Acetaldehyde, Acetamide, Acetazolamide, Acetochlor, Acetohydroxamic Acid, 2-Acetylaminofluorene, Acifluorfen Sodium, Acrylamide, Acrylonitrile, Actinomycin D, Aflatoxins, Alachlor, Aldrin, All-trans Retinoic Acid, Aloe vera (non-decolorized whole leaf extract), α-Methyl styrene (alpha-Methylstyrene), Alprazolam, Benzidine-based Dyes, Carbon Black (unbound airborne particles), C.I. Direct Blue 15, C.I. Direct Blue 218, Cobalt Metal Powder, Dichloroacetic Acid, and extensively more. These are just a few, but there are many more listed on the official OEHHA website.
SW is based in California and is in compliance with Proposition 65. However, we want to reassure our customers that SW products do not require any Proposition 65 labeling. Our gloves do not contain any of the listed chemical color dyes on the Proposition 65 list. While our black nitrile gloves are colored with Carbon Black, they do not contain airborne particles of Carbon Black. The Carbon Black contained in our black nitrile gloves is bonded into the nitrile material so it will not become airborne. Only airborne and unbound particles of Carbon Black are carcinogenic.
Furthermore, while Aloe is listed as a Proposition 65 chemical, it specifically states non-decolorized whole leaf extract. Our patented Energel technology does include aloe, but our gloves containing Energel technology are only coated with an organic aloe vera gel called ACTIValoe patented by Aloecorp Inc. Our gloves only use non carcinogenic, decolorized aloe extract. Proposition 65 specifically excludes aloe vera decolorized extract, aloe vera gel, aloe vera gel extract, and aloe vera latex. These aloe vera ingredients, which are not listed on Proposition 65’s chemical list, are used in various personal care products.
Not only are the chemicals listed in Proposition 65 carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic, they are hard to dispose of due to their toxicity. Our gloves are able to maintain high credibility of low dermatitis potential because we forgo these harsh chemicals in our manufacturing process. We are building towards a sustainable future and thinking of the future generation.