CLEARWATER, FL — Sempermed, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of hand protection, is pleased to announce that fentanyl permeation testing has been conducted on five Sempermed glove brands, and they have all passed. The five brands are: SemperCare® Nitrile, SemperForce® Nitrile, StarMed® Ultra Nitrile, Tender Touch® Nitrile and SemperShield® Nitrile.
Fentanyl is the most potent opioid available for medical treatments. It is utilized as a surgical anesthetic or a narcotic for chronic, severe cancer pain. It is a Class II “Incapacitating Agent” per the CDC and is 8000% more potent than morphine. However, recreational fentanyl is being illegally produced and sold as heroin.
Fentanyl can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin with effects ranging from disorientation, coughing, sedation, respiratory distress or even cardiac arrest occurring within seconds of contact. The DEA has deemed fentanyl an “unprecedented threat” and this drug is a concern for accidental exposure within EMS, police, and emergency room environments. These risk factors emphasize the importance of offering gloves that have been tested for fentanyl permeation, particularly for the EMS, police and emergency room environments.
The opioid crisis has become so prevalent that the United States Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, has issued a rare public health advisory urging friends and family of people at risk for opioid overdosed to carry the OD-reversal medication naloxone. He likened the treatment to other lifesaving interventions, such as knowing how to perform CPR or use an EpiPen (the last advisory issued focused on drinking during pregnancy, and was issued in 2005). “It’s (naloxone) easy to use, it’s lifesaving, and it’s available throughout the country fairly easily” Adams stated.
Sempermed’s gloves were tested for fentanyl permeation by an accredited, DEA-compliant, independent testing laboratory. In accordance with standards, the gloves were specifically tested for breakthrough time – the point at which the chemical reaches a predetermined threshold on the opposite side of the glove film. The tests demonstrated that there was no permeation over the duration of the test period (240 minutes) for the five brands listed.
Sempermed is a globally integrated manufacturer that provides focused sales, marketing, and logistical support to those in need of hand protection. For more information on Sempermed or our products, contact us at Sempermed USA, Inc., 13900 49th Street North, Clearwater FL 33762, call 800-366-9545, or visit us at our website www.SempermedUSA.com.