Frequently Asked Questions

Q. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ORDER A PRODUCT TO ENSURE THE FASTEST DELIVERY?

A. Whether you order online, by mail, fax, phone, or e-mail, DELTA ships the majority of its in stock orders the same day they are received. Ground services orders go by either UPS or FedEx and arrive within 1 to 5 business days, depending on where you are located. All special delivery services are available to our customers for an extra fee.

Q. WHAT MAKES ONE TYPE OF GLOVE LESS PENETRABLE TO A VIRUS OR BLOOD BORNE PATHOGEN THAN ANOTHER?

A. Just as your skin has pores, so do the surfaces of vinyl, latex, and nitrile copolymer gloves. Of the three different glove types, vinyl is the most porous, allowing more chance for penetration by larger molecules in comparison to latex or nitrile. See Viral Penetration Chart comparing vinyl, latex, and nitrile.

Q. WHAT PRODUCTS CONTAIN LATEX?

A. There are numerous products that contain latex. Some examples of household products that may contain latex are: balloons, pacifiers, rubber bands, adhesives (envelope and stamp backings), condoms, elastic diapers, art supplies, beach toys, balls, baby bottle nipples, chewing gum, band-aids, rubber buttons on remote controls and calculators, eye pieces on cameras and binoculars, bathmats, shoe soles, and tires.

Some examples of products in the healthcare environment that may contain latex are: gloves, dental dams, catheters, tourniquets, elastic bandages, IV tubing injection ports, medication vials, band-aids, bulb syringes, tapes, masks, and stethoscopes.

Q. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LATEX SENSITIVITY?

A. There are three different types of latex sensitivity:

1. Irritation: Irritated skin may be dry, cracked, and crusty. It will normally clear up soon after contact with latex is discontinued.
2. Delayed Hypersensitivity (Type 4, Allergic Contact Dermatitis): Irritation that
   erupts with sores or blisters, response occurring within 6-48 hours after contact
   with latex.
3. Immediate Hypersensitivity (Type 1, Anaphylactic Allergic Reaction): Can present
   hives and migrate beyond the point of initial contact. Can include any of the
   following: itchy, watery eyes; swelling of the throat, lips, or tongue; abdominal
   pain; nausea; breathlessness; shock - Potentially life threatening.

Q. HOW CAN LATEX SENSITIVITY OCCUR?

A. Latex sensitization can occur by:

• Continued exposure and contact with latex products: Even if you are not currently sensitive to latex, continued exposure and contact could result in a sudden allergic sensitivity. Exposure to latex can occur when products containing rubber come into contact with the skin or mucous membranes such as the eyes, mouth, genitals, or rectum.
• Breathing airborne latex proteins: which are generally found in cornstarch powdered
  products, such as gloves powdered to promote easy donning. Each time a powdered
  glove is used, latex proteins attached to the molecules in the cornstarch powder
  are released into the air and can remain airborne and be inhaled for up to 12
  hours.

Q. WHO IS MOST AT RISK FOR DEVELOPING A LATEX ALLERGY?

A. Any individual or professional who comes in contact with latex products. Examples: Spina Bifida / Multiple Surgery Patients: Sensitization may occur from repeated and intense exposure to latex during multiple surgeries, tests, and examinations. Health Care Professionals and Community Care Providers, such as school, day care, and camp personnel.

Q. WHAT DOES NSF CERTIFIED MEAN?

A.  NSF International , The Public Health and Safety Company™, a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, is the world leader in standards development, product certification, education, and risk-management for public health and safety. For 60 years, NSF has been committed to public health, safety, and protection of the environment. While focusing on food, water, indoor air, and the environment, NSF develops national standards, provides learning opportunities through its Center for Public Health Education, and provides third-party conformity assessment services while representing the interests of all stakeholders. The primary stakeholder groups include industry, the regulatory community, and the public at large.

NSF is widely recognized for its scientific and technical expertise in the health and environmental sciences. Its professional staff includes engineers, chemists, toxicologists, and environmental health professionals with broad experience both in public and private organizations.

NSF has earned the Collaborating Center designations by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Serving manufacturers operating in 80 countries, NSF was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI USA. The NSF Mark is recognized for its value in international trade around the world.

The Food Service Industry is starting to realize that utilizing the safest, highest quality products in food preparation is paramount to the health of the consumer. In addition, OmniShield™ Food Service Gloves are DOP/DEHP FREE which also protects the wearer from harm other gloves cannot provide. OmniShield™ FOOD SERVICE GLOVES are the premiere products for the food service industry.

Q. WHAT IS DOP/DEHP AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT ME?

A. DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) sometimes known as DOP (di-octyl phthalate) is a commonly used plasticizer from the phthalate ester family and has been in use in flexible PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) products since the 1930’s. Flexible PVC products for building, automotive, medical and packaging applications usually contain phthalates.

As phthalates have been used for such a long time, they continue to be closely studied to ensure that their use is safe. It has been known for many years that small amounts of plasticizers can leach out of the products under certain circumstances.

In 2000, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified DEHP, the most commonly used plasticizer in flexible PVC products as non-carcinogenic to humans. Previous to that, in 1982 they had classified these plasticizers as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. In 1990 the European Commission established its own position that DEHP shall not be labeled or classified as a carcinogen based on studies which showed differences in how species respond to DEHP.

In 2003 the CDC released a report on phthalates that confirmed that median exposures to phthalates were well below levels that could be expected to cause health effects, based on exposure level study using blood and urine tests.

There is no evidence that anyone has been harmed by exposure to phthalate plasticizers. Nevertheless, scientific uncertainty about the potential for phthalates to disrupt the human endocrine system or reproductive development has led to significant ongoing debate about their safety. Eighty six hospitals and GPO’s in 12 states have pledged to reduce the use of PVC and/or DEHP.