I am an ER RN in Oxnard, CA. Our facility recently changed gloves - without so much as a word - one day all our lovely latex ones were gone and had been replaced by an awful vinyl product. They rip more often in putting them on than any other product I have personally used in my 14 yrs of nursing...but my question is more about permeability/transmission risks of vinyl compared with latex.

Way back in nursing school, we were taught latex or bust unless one is allergic and then had to use vinyl as a less adequate second choice. What do the physicians at BodyPro say? I do realize that there has likely been improvement over the past 15+ yrs since that lecture at nursing school...but it would be nice to know rather than assume that I and my co-workers will be safe with the vinyl alternative foisted upon us. I have spent the past few hours searching the Web and have only found a handful of references - most of them from the 80's and 90's. Some more recent info would be helpful.

Thanks! Samantha Farrell, RN III St John's Regional Medical Center Department of Emergency Medical Services