This standard specifies the requirements against which a glove's capacity to act as a protective barrier against chemicals and/or micro-organisms is tested.
It consists of five parts:
- PART 1: Mechanical and physical integrity.
(EN ISO 374-1:2016) - PART 2: Resistance to penetration.
(EN 374-2:2014) - PART 3: Resistance to permeation by chemicals.
(EN 374-3 suspended, withdrawn/substituted by EN 16523-1:2015) - PART 4: Resistance to degradation by chemicals.
(EN 374-4:2013) - PART 5: Performance requirements for micro-organisms risks.
(EN ISO 374-5:2016)
Part 2: RESISTANCE TO PENETRATION
Penetration is a physical process where a liquid or air penetrates a fabric by passing through its pores, seams or pinholes.
Two tests are performed in this part of EN 374:2014:
- Air leak test: the glove is inflated with air pressure and submerged into a water tank. Leaks are identified by visible bubbles.
- Water leak test: the glove is filled with water, and its outer surface is examined for water drops.
Part 3: RESISTANCE TO PERMEATION BY CHEMICALS
New permeation test method EN 16523-1:2015 replaces EN 374-3:2003.
Permeation is a process where a potentially hazardous chemical moves through a material on the molecular level. In the laboratory, permeation is measured by a parameter called breakthrough time.
Breakthrough time is the time a potentially hazardous chemical takes to permeate through the glove material and reach the inside of the glove.
It is determined by applying a potentially hazardous chemical to the exterior surface of the glove and measuring the time it takes before the chemical is detected on the inside surface. It indicates how long a glove can be used with a certain chemical.
| PERFORMANCE LEVEL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| BREAKTHROUGH TIME (Min) | > 10 | > 30 | > 60 | > 120 | > 240 | > 480 |
Although tests are performed according to the standard, factors such as temperature and stretching highly influence how fast the chemical permeates through the glove material. Granberg recommends a 25% safety margin.
EN 374:2016 defines a list of 18 chemicals (6 chemicals are new)
List of test chemicals specified in EN ISO 374-1:2016:
| CHEMICAL | CAS # | CLASS | ||
| A | Methanol | 67-56-1 | Primary alcohol | |
| B | Acetone | 67-64-1 | Ketone | |
| C | Acetonitrile | 75-05-8 | Nitrile compound | |
| D | Dichloromethane | 75-09-2 | Chlorinated paraffin | |
| E | Carbon Disulphide | 75-15-0 | Organic compound containing sulphur | |
| F | Toluene | 108-88-3 | Aromatic hydrocarbon | |
| G | Diethylamine | 109-89-7 | Amine | |
| H | Tetrahydrofuran | 109-99-9 | Heterocyclic and ether compound | |
| I | Ethyl Acetate | 141-78-6 | Ester | |
| J | n-Heptane | 142-82-5 | Saturated hydrocarbon | |
| K | 40% Sodium Hydroxide | 1310-73-2 | Inorganic base | |
| L | 96% Sulphuric Acid | 7664-93-9 | Inorganic mineral acid | |
| M | 65% Nitric Acid | 7697-37-2 | Inorganic mineral acid | |
| N | 99% Acetic Acid | 64-19-7 | Organic acid | |
| O | 25% Ammonium Hydroxide | 1336-21-6 | Organic base | |
| P | 30% Hydrogen peroxide | 7722-84-1 | Peroxide | |
| S | 40% Hydrofluoric Acid | 7664-39-3 | Inorganic mineral acid | |
| T | 37% Formaldehyde | 50-00-0 | Aldehyde |
It may only be asserted that gloves protect against Chemical Risks when type A, B or C performance is achieved using the permeation test method EN 16523-1:2015.
Type A - Minimum 6 chemicals must reach at least level 2 performance.
Type B - Minimum 3 chemicals must reach at least level 2 performance.
Type C - Minimum 1 chemical must reach at least level 1 performance.
| EN 374-1/Type A | EN 374-1/Type B | EN 374-1/Type C | ||
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| ADJKOT | JKT | |
Part 4: RESISTANCE TO DEGRADATION BY CHEMICALS
In order to claim that a glove provides protection against a chemical on the list, permeation and degradation tests must be carried out. The results of the degradation test must appear in the User Instructions.
The principle of this test is to assess if a change of a certain nature has occurred in the glove after continuous contact with a chemical. It is determined by a puncture resistance test similar to that of EN 388:2016.
Part 5: PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR MICRO-ORGANISMS RISKS
Protection against bacteria and fungi can be claimed if penetration (EN374-2:2013) and EN 420 general requirements are met.
It is possible to declare that a glove provides protection against viruses if it meets the requirements of ISO 16604:2004 procedure B.
| EN 374-5 | ||
| Protection against bacteria and fungi |  |
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| EN 374-5 | ||
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Protection against bacteria, fungi and viruses | |
| VIRUS | |