Studies / testing

BioCor Scientific: Gloves In A Bottle: Experimental Testing

BioCor Scientific is a company that offers a wide variety of biomedical consulting services including the evaluation of products through a variety of test models. We have reviewed test reports from other laboratories and conducted our own tests on the skin lotion marketed as Gloves In A Bottle.

In testing it is difficult to represent the broad range of chemical irritants and toxins which human skin may encounter in this day and age. By using hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and isocyanate as testing agents, however, we have attempted to cover extremely diverse chemical species which will likely be encountered in the household and work place. Both hydrochloric acid and liquid ammonia comprise ions and small inorganic molecules and are excellent solvents and would be expected to penetrate the skin on this basis alone. Isocyanates are slightly larger molecules which, when linked to carbon-containing groups in products such as paint hardener, form polyisocyanates. Polyisocyanates are insoluble in water and are irritating to skin and other tissues by contact or by inhalation of vapors.

A commercial form of liquid ammonia was used in our experimental trials at 4% concentration. The solution consists primary of large quantities of water and ammonia and smaller quantities of ammonium ion and hydroxide ion. This level of concentration is irritating to the skin. Hydrochloric acid is a very strong electrolyte, whose hydronium and chloride ions are largely dissociated, making each extremely reactive.

All three testing agents are found in household and work place products and, as indicated above, have the potential to penetrate human skin by diverse and insidious means. Our intent has been to test the efficacy of barrier cream/lotion protection against the more extreme examples of chemical penetration. At BioCor Scientific we have evaluated the protective value of Gloves In A Bottle against liquid ammonia, isocyanate in xylene, and the polyisocyanate product DCX61 in testing models chosen to simulate the skin of the human hand. Despite dosages of chemical irritant in excess of those likely to be experienced in the household or work place, Gloves In A Bottle demonstrated protection against skin and systemic reactions in all cases. We have found that Gloves In A Bottle effectively protects against liquid ammonia as well as hydrochloric acid.

Sincerely,

Vernon Roohk, Ph.D. January 25, 1998

Please note: Gloves In A Bottle (giab.co.uk), makes no claims its product is effective in protecting against any chemicals or irritants other than dirt and grime. The results of independent laboratory testing are being posted only to show that testing has been conducted, to show it is effective against dirt and grime and no other inference should be construed from the above report.