The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule banning powdered medical gloves beginning on 19 January 2017 due to a variety of reasons. The ban was first proposed in March 2016 citing mounting evidence that such gloves posed serious risks to patients, including airway and wound inflammation, post-surgical adhesions and allergic reactions. The powder used within all types of gloves has been associated with many potentially serious adverse events, including hypersensitivity reactions, granulomas, and peritoneal adhesions.
Respiratory allergic reactions can also result from proteins in aerosolized glove powder. Most of the agencies that opposed banning powdered gloves claimed that non-powdered gloves were more difficult to put on and are less comfortable. However, FDA rejected these claims, citing that nonpowdered alternatives to both surgical and patient examination gloves…
