Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/26
By: Chang Min-hsuan and Evelyn Kao

Photo for illustrative purposes only / Image taken from Pixabay

Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Taiwan will ban the importation and manufacture of powdered medical gloves, with effect from 2021, because the powder can cause adverse health effects, the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Sunday.

Exposure to powdered gloves may cause allergic reactions, wound inflammation, adhesions, and increased risk of infection, said Wu Cheng-ning (吳正寧), a section chief at Taiwan’s FDA, citing a ban that was issued in 2017 by the United States FDA.

Germany prohibited the use of powdered medical gloves as early as 1998, while Japan and the Philippines implemented a ban at the beginning of this year, Wu said, adding that the problem is the cornstarch content, which serves as a carrier of allergens.

Following a meeting of experts that was convened by Taiwan’s FDA in 2017, it was concluded that the risks outweighed the benefits associated with the use of powdered gloves, Wu said.    [FULL  STORY]