ASTM F739 and EN 374: Chemical Permeation Testing for Protective Gloves
Quick Summary: Chemical resistance in gloves is not a single property. Penetration is a hole; permeation is a chemical working its way through the material itself. ASTM F739 is the test method behind permeation data, and EN 374 is the European scheme that turns that data into types and performance levels. This guide explains the difference, why thickness is a weak proxy for protection, and what a Canadian clinic, laboratory or dental practice should ask for before buying.
A clinic switches to a new concentrated disinfectant. Staff wear the same nitrile examination gloves they have always worn, and the gloves hold up through the first few minutes of contact. Two floors away, a laboratory technician uses the same glove to handle a small amount of solvent and feels a familiar tingle on the fingertips within seconds. Same box, different outcome, because the question being asked of the glove changed.
Examination gloves and chemical-protective gloves are specified for different hazards. The medical glove standards that most clinics know, such as ASTM D6319 for nitrile examination gloves (ASTM D6319) and ASTM D3578 for rubber examination gloves (ASTM D3578), describe gloves intended to create a barrier between a wearer and biological material. They say almost nothing about how the material behaves against a solvent.
The line between the two hazards is easy to blur on a busy day, and it matters more than most purchasing decisions. Blood and body fluid exposure is a regulated occupational hazard with defined controls (OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard), and occupational health guidance in Canada treats biological hazards in health care as routine rather than occasional (CCOHS biological hazards). Chemical exposure sits on a different track, with its own test methods.
What does ASTM F739 actually measure?
ASTM F739 is a permeation test. A sample of the glove material separates two chambers. On one side sits the challenge chemical; on the other sits a collection medium that captures anything that comes through. The test measures how quickly molecules of the chemical appear on the inside, and the headline number is the breakthrough time (ASTM F739).
That design explains why the method is used for protective clothing materials generally, not just gloves. It is a material-level test, so the result belongs to a specific combination of material, thickness and chemical at a stated temperature. Change any of those and the number changes.
The important structural point is that F739 does not produce a summary verdict. It produces measurements that a specification or a scheme then interprets. ASTM D6978 does exactly that for medical gloves and chemotherapy drugs, applying permeation testing to a defined set of drug substances so that hazardous drug handling can be matched to gloves with documented resistance (ASTM D6978).
How is permeation different from penetration and degradation?
Three words get used interchangeably in procurement conversations and they describe three different failure modes. Keeping them apart is most of the battle.
| Term | What happens | How it is tested | What it looks like to the wearer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration | Liquid or a microorganism passes through a hole, tear or pinhole in the glove | ASTM D5151 hole detection and microscopic inspection | A visible breach or a wet spot at a seam, sometimes nothing at all |
| Permeation | Molecules absorb into the material, diffuse through it and emerge on the inside surface | ASTM F739 permeation cell with a challenge chemical and a collection medium | No hole, no visible damage, but chemical contact on the skin |
| Degradation | The material changes physically because of the chemical, losing strength or shape | Physical property measurement before and after chemical exposure | A glove that swells, stiffens, tears easily or changes colour |
Only the first row is about defects. A glove can be free of holes and still be the wrong glove, and it can look undamaged while a chemical is already moving through it. Degradation is the third failure mode and it is the one that produces the swollen glove that fails ten minutes into a job without any hole being present.
What do the EN 374 types and performance levels mean?
EN 374 is the European standard series for gloves protecting against chemicals and microorganisms. It takes permeation data and sorts gloves into three types, based on how many challenge chemicals from a defined list the glove resists, and assigns each result a performance level.
| EN 374 type | Minimum chemicals resisted from the defined list | What it tells a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Type A | Six or more | The widest test coverage of the three types |
| Type B | Three or more | Moderate coverage; suitable when the chemical list is known |
| Type C | One or more | Narrow coverage; the claim applies to specific named chemicals |
The performance levels run from 1 to 6 and correspond to breakthrough time bands, from roughly ten minutes at the low end to eight hours at the high end. The practical consequence is that two gloves can both be Type A and behave very differently against the chemical a particular clinic actually uses.
This is where a common purchasing error appears. A buyer sees a Type A marking and treats it as a general assurance. The marking describes coverage across the tested list, not protection against everything. The correct question is always narrower: what is the breakthrough time for this glove against this chemical at the concentration and temperature we work with?
Which Canadian settings run into permeation questions?
Dental practices handle concentrated disinfectants, bonding agents, monomers and solvents. Laboratories handle reagents, fixatives and preservatives. Family practice and long-term care handle skin antiseptics and cleaning chemicals. Oncology and compounding pharmacies handle hazardous drugs, which is the setting where permeation data matters most and where D6978 was written to help.
Infection prevention guidance is unambiguous that glove use is a task-level decision. Public Health Ontario's infection prevention material treats gloves as part of routine and additional precautions with defined indications rather than a universal barrier (Public Health Ontario), and the World Health Organization's guidance makes the same point globally: gloves are indicated for specific exposures and removed between tasks (WHO infection prevention and control). Neither the biological nor the chemical exposure disappears because a glove is on.
How do you verify a glove claim before you buy?
The verification path is short, and it mirrors how the medical side works. On the medical side, buyers check the glove designation, the hole inspection results and the quality limits behind them, because pinhole detection is a defined test with defined acceptance criteria (ASTM D5151). Physical strength claims such as puncture resistance sit with their own methods too (ASTM F1342).
- Name the chemical, not the category. "Solvent resistant" is not a specification; "breakthrough time for isopropyl alcohol at this concentration" is.
- Ask for the test method, because the same glove can carry data from different methods with different meanings.
- Ask for the glove model and thickness tested, since formulations change between product lines.
- Translate the number into a change interval for your own workflow, with a margin inside the tested breakthrough time.
- Confirm the supplier's device registration where a glove also carries a medical claim, since devices sold in Canada sit inside the federal framework (Health Canada medical devices).
A facility that keeps those answers on file for its chemical tasks has something more useful than a product promise: a documented basis for a control measure, which is what an occupational health review looks for.
What should a glove programme look like in practice?
Most facilities do not need one glove. They need two or three, each with a defined job. An examination glove for clinical contact. A heavier nitrile glove for cleaning, disinfection and heavier handling, where durability matters more than tactile feedback. A chemical-protective glove with documented permeation data for the specific substances a department actually uses.
The glove then gets a change interval tied to the task rather than to the clock. A glove worn for a two-minute dressing change and a glove worn for forty minutes of instrument cleaning are doing different jobs under different exposure, and treating them identically is how a safe product produces an unsafe outcome.
It also helps to write down which glove belongs to which task and why. That record is what turns a purchase into a control measure, and it survives staff turnover, which is when glove programmes usually erode.
CliniEco Medical supplies clinics, laboratories, long-term care homes and veterinary practices across Canada. For general clinical contact, the 4 mil standard blue nitrile examination glove covers the day-to-day indications; for heavier handling and disinfection tasks the 6 mil heavy-duty black nitrile glove is the denser option; and for facilities that order by the case, the 1,000-glove case keeps the reorder cycle simple. Teams also building out sterilization monitoring can start with the biological indicator 5-pack trial at CA $12.99 with shipping included, and facility or group purchasing enquiries go through the bulk quote request page.
References and standards cited
- ASTM F739, Standard Test Method for Permeation of Liquids and Gases Through Protective Clothing Materials Under Conditions of Continuous Contact (link checked 19 September 2026)
- ASTM D6978, Standard Practice for Assessment of Resistance of Medical Gloves to Permeation by Chemotherapy Drugs (link checked 19 September 2026)
- ASTM D6319, Standard Specification for Nitrile Examination Gloves for Medical Application (link checked 19 September 2026)
- ASTM D5151, Standard Test Method for Detection of Holes in Medical Gloves (link checked 19 September 2026)
- ASTM D3578, Standard Specification for Rubber Examination Gloves (link checked 19 September 2026)
- ASTM F1342, Standard Test Method for Protective Clothing Material Resistance to Puncture (link checked 19 September 2026)
- OSHA, Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) (link checked 19 September 2026)
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, Biological hazards (link checked 19 September 2026)
- Public Health Ontario, Infection prevention and control (link checked 19 September 2026)
- World Health Organization, Infection prevention and control fact sheet (link checked 19 September 2026)
- Health Canada, Medical devices (federal device framework) (link checked 19 September 2026)
Related Reading
- Medical Gloves Chemical Resistance: ASTM D6978 Explained
- What Is ASTM D6319? Nitrile Exam Glove Standard Explained
- Nitrile Glove Pinhole Testing: AQL Levels for Canadian Clinics
- EN 455 vs ASTM D6319: Exam Glove Standards Compared
- Medical Nitrile Gloves — 4 mil Standard, Blue, 100-Pack
- Medical Nitrile Gloves — 6 mil Heavy-Duty, Black, 100-Pack
- INTCO Nitrile Gloves — 1,000 Gloves per Case (10 Boxes × 100)
- Wholesale and facility accounts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between permeation and penetration in glove testing?
Penetration is a hole: liquid or a microorganism moves through a physical defect in the glove, which is what ASTM D5151 tests for. Permeation is a chemical process: molecules of a substance absorb into the glove material, diffuse through it and release on the inside surface, with no visible hole at any point. ASTM F739 measures permeation, and a glove can pass a hole test and still fail a permeation test.
What is breakthrough time and why does it matter more than thickness?
Breakthrough time is the interval between the moment a chemical first touches the outside of the glove and the moment it is detected on the inside surface. A thicker glove usually delays breakthrough, but the chemistry of the material matters more. A glove that resists one solvent well can fail quickly against another, which is why breakthrough times are reported per chemical rather than as a single rating.
What do the EN 374 types and levels mean?
EN 374 classifies chemical-protective gloves as Type A, B or C based on how many challenge chemicals from a defined list the glove resists, and gives each result a performance level from 1 to 6 that maps to a breakthrough time range. A Type A glove has been tested against a larger set of chemicals than a Type C glove, which is a statement about test coverage rather than about protection in general.
Are nitrile examination gloves the same as chemical-protective gloves?
No, and the confusion causes real exposure. An examination glove is specified for medical use under ASTM D6319, where the barrier question is biological rather than chemical. Chemical-protective gloves are tested against specific substances with permeation data. A thin exam glove is fine for a blood draw and is not a substitute for a chemical-resistant glove when handling a solvent, a concentrated disinfectant or a chemotherapy drug.
How does ASTM D6978 fit in?
D6978 is the practice used to assess medical glove resistance to permeation by chemotherapy drugs. It applies the permeation logic of ASTM F739 to a set of drug substances and reports the results so that a facility preparing or administering hazardous drugs can select gloves with documented resistance rather than assume that any nitrile glove will do.
How long can a glove be worn when handling a chemical?
Only as long as the published breakthrough time for that chemical and that glove, minus a safety margin. Because the clock starts at first contact, a glove worn across several tasks can reach breakthrough long before the shift ends. Facilities that handle solvents or hazardous drugs normally set a change interval well inside the tested breakthrough time.
What should a clinic ask for when buying gloves for chemical tasks?
Ask for the specific glove model, the challenge chemicals tested, the breakthrough times reported, and the standard the results come from. A statement that a glove is chemical resistant without a chemical name attached is not usable for a safety decision, and a general-purpose examination glove will rarely carry that data at all.
Does a food-safe or medical claim tell me anything about chemical resistance?
Very little. Medical and food-use claims describe what the glove is acceptable for in those settings, not how it performs against a solvent. Those are separate questions with separate tests, and a glove can carry both approvals while offering almost no permeation resistance to a particular chemical.
Last updated: September 2026. CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
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