EN ISO 374-4: 2019
Determination of resistance to degradation

If a glove material achieves a high performance level for permeation resistance, it does not necessarily equate to a glove that will protect against chemicals, as the effect of degradation due to the chemical also needs to be considered.

The principle of this testing is to measure if there is a change in the force required to puncture the glove material after continuous contact of its external surface with a challenge chemical.

This puncture test is very similar to the procedure detailed in the performance standard to assess protection from mechanical risks detailed in EN 388:2016+A1:2018. The force required to push a standard stylus through a sample of the glove material is compared before and after exposure to the challenge chemical.

For more information see the Spotlight article EN ISO 374-4: 2019 degradation testing of gloves.