Citizen's Petition to Food and Drug Administration to ban cornstarch powder on medical gloves: Maltese cross birefringence.
BACKGROUND
During the last 25 years, scientific experimental and clinical studies have documented the dangers of cornstarch powder on examination and surgical gloves because the cornstarch promotes wound infection, causes serious peritoneal adhesions and granulomatous peritonitis, and is a well-documented vector of the latex allergy epidemic in the world. Realizing the dangers of cornstarch on examination and surgical gloves, Germany's regulations of personal protective equipment banned the use of surgical glove powder cornstarch in 1997. In 2000, the Purchasing and Supply agency for the United Kingdom ceased to purchase any gloves lubricated with cornstarch.


CONCLUSIONS
Realizing the dangers of cornstarch-powdered gloves, many hospitals and clinics in the United States have banned the use of cornstarch-powdered examination and surgical gloves. Hospitals that have banned cornstarch in their examination and surgical gloves have noted a marked reduction in the latex allergy epidemic in their facilities. Realizing the dangers of cornstarch-powdered examination and surgical gloves, Dr Sheila A. Murphey, branch chief, Infection Control Devices Branch, Division of Anesthesiology, General Hospital, Infection Control, and Dental Devices Office of Device Evaluation, Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recommended that a Citizen's Petition be filed to the FDA to ban cornstarch on surgical and examination gloves.


CONCLUSIONS
The 12 authors of this report have attached the enclosed petition to the FDA to ban the use of cornstarch on all synthetic and latex examination and surgical gloves used in the United States.
Edlich
Richard F
RF
Plastic Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, and Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA. richardedlichmd@gmail.com
Long
William B
WB
Gubler
K Dean
KD
Rodeheaver
George T
GT
Thacker
John G
JG
Borel
Lise
L
Chase
Margot E
ME
Cross
Catherine L
CL
Fisher
Allyson L
AL
Lin
Kant Y
KY
Cox
Mary J
MJ
Zura
Robert B
RB
D001718:Birefringence; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D011208:Powders; D011639:Public Opinion; D013213:Starch / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
D011208:Powders; D013213:Starch