FDA Says “NO to Powdered Gloves”

February 21, 2017

The use of powdered gloves has been declining since the adverse effects of talcum were released.  I remember using them for years because they were easier to put on.   Glad they have been banned.

See the report below from the American Dental Association

December 20, 2016 Silver Spring, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule Dec. 19, banning the use of most powdered medical gloves.

The rule, which goes into effect Jan. 18, applies to patient examination gloves, powdered surgeon’s gloves and absorbable powder for lubricating a surgeon’s glove.

“While use of these gloves is decreasing, they pose an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury to health care providers, patients and other individuals who are exposed to them, which cannot be corrected through new or updated labeling,” the agency said in a March news release.

In its summary of the rule, the FDA also noted that the ban “does not apply to powder used in the manufacturing process” of non powdered gloves, “where that powder is not intended to be part of the final finished glove” and said “finished non powdered gloves are expected to include no more than trace amounts of residual powder from these processes, and the agency encourages manufacturers to ensure finished non powdered gloves have as little powder as possible.”