Frequently Asked Questions

General

Unfortunately as a wholesaler, we do not sell our products directly to the general public. Our products are stocked by our network of distributors Australia-wide, which cater for a variety of different locations, industries and products.

To find out which distributor is best for your needs, please visit our Where to Buy page, contact us on +612 9868 7708, or email us at info.au@munglobal.com.

Unfortunately as a wholesaler, we do not sell our products directly to the general public. Our products are stocked by our network of distributors Australia-wide, which cater for a variety of different locations, industries and products. As such, each distributor is responsible for setting their own prices on each of our products.

To find out which distributor is best for your needs, please visit our Where to Buy page, contact us on +612 9868 7708, or email us at info.au@munglobal.com.

To find out what products we recommend for you industry, head to our products by industry page and select your industry from the filter on the left of the page. Alternatively, contact us on +612 9868 7708, or email us info.au@munglobal.com to discuss your specific needs further.

Our PrimeOn hand care range is proudly manufactured locally in Australia. We are registered with the official Australian Made Campaign Ltd., a not-for-profit established by the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry to promote Australian-made products. Our glove and protective apparel products are manufactured offshore.

Occupational latex allergies are estimated to effect 8% to 17% of individuals, and are a serious concern for workers, and the wider population. Allergies occur in response to exposure to latex proteins, naturally-occurring substances found in all natural latex products, and can develop over time due to continuous and long-term exposure.

Reactions are classified into three categories: type I reactions are serious and severe, including the potential for anaphylaxis to occur; type IV reactions can result in itching, irritation and a rash that spreads over the body; irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) results in dry, itchy and irritated skin which without treatment can progressively deteriorate. In order to avoid the potential for allergic reactions to latex, it is recommended that all professionals switch to nitrile gloves as an alternative, which are free from latex proteins. For further information, please visit our Skin Reactions to Gloves page.

No, all examination gloves are single-use products only. According to NHMRC guidelines, gloves must be changed between episodes of care for different patients and between care of different patient body sites.

This ensures that infection is not transmitted between patients, or across body sites of the patient. These guidelines also apply for fields outside of healthcare, as re-using gloves in all settings can transfer potentially harmful bacteria, chemicals or other foreign matter from product to product, or from product to customer.

While our GloveOn® range does include latex gloves, we also provide a range of nitrile and vinyl examination gloves which are certified natural rubber latex free, and also free from potentially allergy-causing latex proteins. For further information and a comparison on different types of gloves, please visit our Glove Materials page.

Powder was once a common inclusion in examination and surgical gloves, as they facilitated easy donning of the glove, and prevented the gloves from sticking together. However, the use of powder in gloves has also been shown to have adverse effects, including detrimental effects on wound closure and wound infection and induction of peritoneal adhesion formation and granulomatous peritonitis.

Furthermore, powder particles can act as carriers of latex proteins, which can cause potentially life-threatening allergic reactions in some individuals. Read more about the Problems with Powdered Gloves.

Advances in technology have led to the development of powder-free gloves, gloves that are so flexible and stretchy that no donning agent is needed.

Yes, our Victor and Hamilton surgical gloves have been sterilised for use in operating theatres, while our Aegis sterile examination gloves can be used for procedures outside surgery where a sterile field is required.

Hand Hygiene Australia (HHA) Guidelines were issued in November 2010 stating that the alcohol content for Alcohol Based Hand Rubs (ABHR) need to be 70% to reflect the EN1500 test reference active alcohol standard. It also refers to literature data which confirms that the 2 major alcohols (ethanol and IPA isomers) are active between the range of 60-80% in water. Therefore, 70% has been nominated as it is the average and has been verified as an active alcohol in water.

Hand sanitisers (including ours) are developed with ingredients other than pure water because of the need for liquid “gelling” to make it easier to dispense and control, for skin protection and for a satisfactory “feel” after application.

Therefore, hand sanitiser gels are required to meet 2 standards to determine their effectiveness in relation to the 60% concentration specified in the EN1500 standard (60% as the lower limit):

EN13727: Kill Time Activity Test (3 organisms)

EN1500: Clinical comparison against activity of 60% Propan-2-ol

EN13727 is a potency / time standard which determines the reduction of viable organisms over a specified time. EN1500 is a compliance (clinical activity) standard that must be matched. The results for this test confirm the activity of the product relevant to the concentration of alcohol included in the product.

In most cases, formulated products have activity statements claiming to kill 99.9% to 99.999% of germs. This reflects an activity of a 3 log to 5 log reduction over the specified time. Our hand sanitiser has exceptional efficacy, with a 99.99999% kill rate or >7 log reduction within 1 minute, exceeding the standard while meeting your other needs.

For more information on HHA’s guidelines on ABHRs, visit http://www.hha.org.au/About/ABHRS/abhr-testing.aspx.

Do not apply an ABHR to broken skin. Stinging indicates pre-damaged epidermal tissue, most commonly caused by irritant-contact dermatitis related to excessive use of soap or detergents. The use of an ABHR may lead to an improvement in the condition for hands because it contains an emollient, does not remove skin lipids and does not require a paper towel for drying. However, if symptoms persist, please consult a medical physician.

Yes, having wet hands dilutes the solution thus decreasing its effectiveness. An ABHR must only be applied to dry hands.

The use of gloves does not replace the need for hand hygiene. An ABHR should be used before and after glove use.

If hands are visibly soiled, or contaminated with blood or body fluids, then hand washing with plain or anti-microbial soap is recommended. The same is advised following known or suspected exposure to bacterial spores (e.g. Clostridioides difficile), non-enveloped viruses (e.g. norovirus), or parasites. Washing hands with soap and water is preferred because it guarantees a mechanical removal effect. To download our 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene poster, please visit our Flu Season page.

Unfortunately no, as the outside of the bottles and the pump often become contaminated, they should generally be discarded and not reused. Attempts to reuse bottles have unfortunately proven to be costly in Australia to date.

Yes, any product in the GloveOn® and PrimeOn® range that requires a TGA registration has been registered with the organisation. Our TGA registration numbers are clearly printed on all our products.

Yes, most of our gloves have been tested against a wide range of chemicals commonly used in the laboratory. Generally, nitrile gloves are recommended for laboratory use as they are less susceptible to breakdown due to contact with chemicals.

Yes, most of our nitrile gloves have been tested against a wide range of common chemotherapy drugs. For further information on the appropriate choice of gloves for use with cytotoxic drugs, visit our Chemotherapy Standards for Personal Protective Equipment page.

Yes, the majority of our gloves meet international standards for food contact and food handling, including EN1186, EN13130 and CEN/TS14234, as well as being HACCP certified. We recommend using nitrile gloves for food handling, as vinyl gloves offer poor barrier protection, while latex gloves can transfer potentially allergy inducing proteins onto food.

To view our range of products recommended for food handling, select “Food and Hospitality” on the products by industry page. You can also view the standards each of our gloves adhere to on their product page or specifications sheet.

Acceptable quality limit (AQL) is a criteria assigned to test for quality control in a set of manufactured materials. The AQL score provides a “failure” range based on the production run’s size before the whole manufactured batch is rejected. The AQL for examination gloves set by the United States Federal Drug Administration is 2.5, however Mun adopts a more stringent criteria of 1.5.

Examination gloves are tested for AQL by using a watertight test, where gloves are filled with water, sealed and suspended to test for water leaks. AQL is a good point of reference for consumers looking to purchase quality and reliable examination gloves. To view our video on AQL, please visit our Exam and Surgical Gloves Knowledge page.

The oat (avena sativa) is a cereal grain grown and harvested for its seeds, which are used in wide variety of products including food, agriculture, health and skincare products.

Colloidal oatmeal, the compound utilised in GloveOn® COATS® gloves, is made by milling the oat seeds into a fine powder. Colloidal oatmeal is recognised by the US FDA as a skin protectant, supported by the results of clinical studies which have found colloidal oatmeal to reduce and control rash, xerosis, dermatitis and assist in the healing of burns. GloveOn® COATS® gloves utilise the powerful and therapeutic benefits of colloidal oatmeal, by including a coating of colloidal oatmeal inside the glove.

GloveOn® COATS® gloves moisturise your hands while you wear them, replacing moisture stripped from the skin, removing dead skin cells, relieving itch and irritation, repairing damages from other chemicals and calming the skin.

Gluten is a mixture of proteins that occur naturally in wheat, rye, barley and crossbreeds of these grains. Gluten can be found in foods containing these ingredients, including bread, pasta, cakes, cereal and various sauces and dressings. For most people, gluten is entirely safe to eat, and is a healthy source of protein and fibre. However, for people who suffer from coeliac disease, gluten can cause serious medical problems.

Coeliac is a medical disease in which the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel damage. Coeliac disease is a genetic predisposition, meaning people who suffer from the disease are born with genes that may result in the development of gluten intolerance.

Coeliac disease is estimated to affect 1.43% of the population. If undiagnosed, coeliac disease can lead to chronic system inflammation, poor nutrition and malabsorption of nutrients. Coeliac disease cannot be cured, thus people who suffer from this disease must maintain a lifelong gluten–free diet.

Oats do not naturally contain gluten. However, due to the demands of the modern agricultural market, oat crops are often grown in close proximity to, or on plots of land previously used to grow, wheat, barley and rye crops, which can lead to cross-contamination. Food standards in Europe and the USA recognise oats as being gluten free and safe for those with coeliac disease to consume.

Yes. While minute traces of gluten due to cross-contamination may be in the colloidal oatmeal coating of GloveOn® COATS® gloves, topical exposure to gluten is completely safe for coeliac sufferers. According to the Centre for Coeliac Research, “…it is the oral ingestion of gluten that activates the immunological cascades leading to the autoimmune process typical of coeliac disease”. That is, the adverse symptoms associated with coeliac disease occur only when gluten is ingested orally. The presence of gluten in products designed for external use, in particular the application of gluten products to the skin has been deemed safe by the Centre for Coeliac Research.

“If you have coeliac disease, then the application of gluten containing products to the skin should not be a problem, unless you have skin lesions that allow gluten to be absorbed systematically in great quantities”
– Dr Alessio Fasano, Medical Director of the Centre for Coeliac Research.

In fact, it is generally agreed that gluten molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin. As always, you should practice appropriate hand washing techniques as part of routine hygiene practices when you anticipate contact with potentially infectious people or substances.

No. The colloidal oatmeal coating is present only inside GloveOn® COATS® gloves, meaning the patient does not come into contact at all with this coating. If donned and doffed correctly, the inside of the glove should not be exposed to the patient.

If, through circumstance, the patient was to come into contact with the inside of the glove, this would cause no adverse harm to the patient, as topical exposure to gluten is completely safe for coeliac sufferers. Furthermore, GloveOn® COATS® gloves require only a minimal coating of colloidal oatmeal to achieve powerful and therapeutic skin benefits. Thus, the traces of gluten (if any) in the colloidal oatmeal coating would be extremely small.

Clinical studies that have examined the benefits of colloidal oatmeal on the skin have found that it is a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of skin conditions, without the presence of adverse reactions, including allergies.