In our home, we use powder-free latex gloves for a variety of projects. Several examples would be wood staining, mixing epoxy glue, and car maintenance. Wearing latex gloves during these activities protects the hands from chemical exposure as well as contributing to keeping the hands clean.
Gloves are an often overlooked preparedness item. During an emergency situation, you, your family, or your community may find it necessary to limit or ration water consumption. There is also a possibility that water supply lines could be damaged or fresh water may be unavailable, such as from lack of electricity. This would make your normal hand washing routine much more difficult.
To protect yourself and your loved ones from illness, gloves are a necessary precaution. Having gloves on hand will assist in cleanliness and limit the spread of bacteria or germs. In an emergency situation, lack of or access to services may mean the possibility that something as simple as a scratch could become very serious, even resulting in death.
Gloves should always be worn when caring for the sick or the injured. Bacteria or food borne illness may enter the body through miniscule cuts, scrapes, or breaks in the skin. Gloves should also be changed as necessary when soiled. When dealing with multiple cases of illness or injury, gloves worn for caring for one person should be discarded before going on to the next individual. This may help to prevent the spread of disease from one individual to another.
There are several types and sizes of gloves available, such as non-powdered latex, and powdered latex (for ease of putting on.) There are also non latex varieties for those with latex sensitivity such as neoprene, nitrile rubber, and vinyl. Sterile medical gloves are used for medical procedures and are available in a variety of sizes as well as chemical compositions, just as is their non sterile counterparts.
Gloves come in dispenser cardboard containers as well as individual use packets. Exam as well as non sterile gloves may also have the potential use for being a barter type of item in a disaster scenario. This is an added benefit to storing some types of gloves as they could be considered as a form of currency as well as being used to protect the health and well being of you and others.
Gloves are inexpensive, convenient, and easy to store. The use of gloves or alcohol hand sanitizer should never be used as a substitute for good hand washing technique. However, in an emergency, having a stock of gloves available may be what protects you and your family from a potentially life threatening disease.
