The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to ban powdered surgical gloves that it holds responsible for serious health risks to patients and healthcare professionals, according to a communicated. Indeed, the powder composing these gloves would cause respiratory problems.
Substantial risks
Powder is sometimes added to gloves to make them easier to put on and take off. But this material may contain proteins that cause allergic reactions which lead to respiratory problems. This is because these proteins can inflame the airways and the tissue that forms between internal organs after surgery.
The risks posed by powdered gloves cannot be eliminated with new updates to the warning labels, which is why the FDA has chosen to propose a ban on this medical device.
“This ban is meant to protect patients and healthcare professionals from a danger they might not even be aware of,” says Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
“We take bans very seriously and only take this decision when we believe it is necessary to protect public health,” he added.
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