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25 July 2008

Answer to Question #6773 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Nuclear or Radioactive Devices — Emergency Response

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

We conduct a radiation casualty exercise in our emergency department. Some of the physicians and staff have taken issue with the inconvenience of double gloving for contamination. The emergency department staff only single gloves for human immunodeficiency virus. My question is, How effective is double gloving and is it worth the added time to change out gloves periodically when single-glove changing is much faster? Also, do you know of any research that has been conducted on this subject?

I consulted with a world-renowned expert on radiological emergency medical response, Fred A. Mettler, Jr., MD, MPH, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Radiology, University of New Mexico. Dr. Mettler responded to the Chernobyl accident and many other radiation accidents in his career.

Dr. Mettler said his opinion is that there is no pressing reason to double glove. He finds that wearing more gloves makes it harder to deal with getting IV lines started and doing other tactile activities. There will not be much contamination that gets through a pinhole in the glove. And any contamination on the skin is usually not a pressing issue.

He emphasized that the most important thing is to take care of medical issues: stabilize the patient, understand principles of contamination and removal, and not end up with a clean, but dead, patient.

Marcia Hartman, MS

Answer posted on 19 September 2007. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.