Two brands of latex rubber gloves and one brand of polyvinyl chloride glove were examined for their permeability. New and used gloves were included. All of the gloves were examined visually and then subjected to an air leakage test, an electrical test, and a microbiologic test. Permeability was evaluated independently by two researchers in a blind manner. Statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences among the three brands of gloves or with respect to the usage periods, according to visual inspection and the air leakage test. Conversely, there were significant differences among each of the three brands of gloves and with respect to usage periods, according to the electrical and microbiologic tests