Which of the following is a standard requirement when handling materials exposed to an AIDS patient?

The correct approach to handling materials exposed to an AIDS patient focuses on the application of standard precautions to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious agents. This principle applies to all patients, regardless of their known or suspected infectious status.

Standard precautions include a set of practices such as hand hygiene, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and safely managing sharps and waste, which are designed to prevent the spread of infections. While wearing gloves and gowns is a part of the protective gear needed in certain situations, it is not solely required in every instance of interacting with an AIDS patient. Instead, the emphasis is on using standard precautions for all patients to ensure comprehensive protection for both healthcare providers and patients alike.

Some options, like double-bagging contaminated waste or wearing eye protection only while suctioning, could be specific practices that may apply in certain scenarios but do not represent the broader requirement that standard precautions apply to all patients, thus making this the most universally applicable answer in the context of healthcare.