For some odd reason, many of us have it in our minds that our car engine mechanics like to have greasy, black-stained hands. That it's sort of a badge of honor, a distinguishing mark of the trade. Well, actually, they don't. Anymore than you or I. Secretly, we love and worship our mechanics, and put our trust in them just as much as we do our doctor or dentist. Have you ever tried to fix your transmission? I don't even know what 'rotate your tires' even means.
One thing that many of us don't appreciate is that having greasy, dirty hands day in and day out is a real hassle. Not only is that guck really hard to clean off, it can get on just about anything- papers, linens, tablecloths, you name it. Contrary to certain impressions that some entertain, mechanics are not proud to hold out a black dirty hand for you to shake. They'd like to have a nice clean hand just like yours.
But happily for our mechanics a bit of relief is on the way with the invention of a new synthetic product called nitrile gloves. The 'nitrile' stands for NBR. NBR is a form of synthetic rubber developed in 2002 that is composed from a family of unsaturated copolymers of 2-propenenitrile and various butadiene monomers. This compound enhances resistance to oil and chemicals, making it an ideal material for a wide variety of products ranging from garden hoses to radiator belts. Its greatest application however has been in the production of disposable gloves for use in healthcare and industrial settings.
Quite a mouthful, but what do these gloves mean for the automobile mechanic? Well, mechanics often wear thick padded gloves to protect them from injury, and they keep their hands clean too. However, on just about any given job there will be times when a mechanic's gloves are just too bulky for the operation, so the mechanic is forced to do it by hand (and that's when his hands get dirty of course). Latex gloves have been around for a hundred years now, but the mechanic could never consider them because they are nowhere near durable enough to handle the aligning, tightening, and clamping that is all part of a mechanic's job. Stronger rubber gloves have been around for years but they are no better than their padded counterparts in terms of bulk. Nitrile gloves finally provide a rubber glove that is sensitive enough for the mechanic's needs and durable enough not to fall apart through pressure or abrasion with coarse edges. In short, while nitrile gloves are not perfect they can stand up to most jobs, and best of all they keep the wearer's hands clean. And unlike the healthcare professional who must frequently change gloves to prevent any contamination, the mechanic may wear his nitrile gloves all day, just as long as they hold up. Finally, latex gloves have always had a high incidence of allergic dermatitis associated with their use. The incidence of allergic reactions to nitrile gloves is much lower.
For mechanics using nitrile gloves, the color of choice is black. Now all that black sludge can stay unnoticed on their nitrile black gloves, rather than on their hands.
