Enhanced Radiation Attenuation Medical Gloves

High margin, low volume, specialty rubber product markets are critical to early stage commercialization of guayule natural rubber, a domestic rubber source. Current guayule production is too small to achieve economies of scale and cannot compete in the low cost, high volume, commodity markets. This project exploits the unique mechanical properties of guayule latex to develop the first radiation attenuation (RA) medical glove, a high performance/high value product. Existing RA gloves, made from latex tapped from the rubber tree, are classified as personal protective equipment, because the required loading of attenuation filler reduces glove mechanical properties below FDA medical glove performance requirements. FDA mandates that health care workers using ionizing radiation, double-glove with both an RA glove (to reduce their exposure to radiation) and a medical glove (to protect them from blood-borne pathogens) to the clear detriment of tactile sensitivity and patient outcomes. The intrinsic softness and elasticity of guayule latex allows combined high RA filler loading and glove performance that exceeds FDA requirements. A pair of natural latex RA gloves contains approximately 24g of natural rubber while commanding a price of $40-60/pair. Guayule RA medical gloves would certainly be positioned at the upper end of this range, because they could be used without double gloving and transmit a higher level of tactile sensation than current RA gloves (even without double-gloving). We can enter this market using our pilot plant capacity and demand is sufficient to support the construction of a commercial scale latex production facility with associated guayule acreage.