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FDA Bans Powdered Gloves In US

by Julia Samuel on Dec 19 2016 2:03 PM
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Highlights

  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just issued a ban on powdered medical gloves, calling them dangerous.
  • The powder added on the gloves which makes it easy to remove can cause allergic reactions.
  • Powdered medical gloves used by doctors for examining patients is now banned in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The ruling marks only the second time in history that the FDA has banned a medical device.
    The agency first proposed the ban back in March, and issued a final ruling on Dec. 16, 2016. The ban will take effect on Jan. 19, 2017.

    When issuing the proposed ban in March, the agency said it had determined that a ban on powdered gloves would not cause a glove shortage. Only a small percentage of medical gloves used today have powder, according to The New York Times.

    "While medical gloves play a significant role in protecting patients, health care providers and other individuals in close proximity, powdered gloves are very dangerous for a variety of reasons," the FDA said in a statement.

    The powder is sometimes added to gloves to make them easier to take on and off, the agency said. But if the powder on latex gloves becomes airborne, it can cause allergic reactions.

    Wound inflammation and a condition in which bands of scar tissue form between people’s organs after surgery has also been reported, the FDA said.

    Today’s state-of-the-art medical gloves include non-powdered alternatives that provide all the benefits of powdered gloves, without the same risks, the agency said.

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    Source-Medindia


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