Shared on behalf of Phil Thompson, Director, Support Services
We are excited to announce that Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) has transition to PRIMED Medical Products’ Sustain gloves.
These Sustain gloves meet industry standards for testing and offer the same protection, safety, comfort, and performance as the gloves currently used, ensuring that patient care is not compromised. The new Sustain glove is the same colour, look and feel as our current nitrile glove and meets the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards for tensile strength. The glove exceeds ASTM standards for shelf life and has a similar lifespan as our current glove. Additionally, it meets all ASTM standards for chemotherapy and medical applications. It has also been tested and approved for safe food handling and viral penetration standards. Trials have taken place across five departments at TBRHSC and have been successful.
TBRHSC is committed to environmental stewardship. Annually, we consume 11,000,000 nitrile gloves. The Sustain glove is a biodegradable alternative to the traditional nitrile exam gloves. The switch to a biodegradable glove is a small change that will reduce our environmental impact and demonstrate our commitment to a cleaner environment.
Ordinary nitrile gloves, used for their durability and protection, pose environmental challenges due to their long decomposition time. The Sustain gloves decompose 81% faster than the 0.5% decomposition rate of standard gloves. When these biodegradable gloves degrade in landfills, they break down into biogas, water, and harmless compounds, potentially generating renewable energy.
This change will ensure that while our patients receive exceptional care, we also do our part to reduce our environmental impact.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Phil Thompson at phil.thompson@tbh.net.
