Millions of USED nitrile gloves - some stained with blood - are being redyed then shipped to the US amid spike in demand caused by COVID

Daily Mail ^

[algore]

Tens of millions of dirty, used, and counterfeit nitrile gloves - some of them stained with blood - have been shipped to the United States from Thailand in recent months as fraudsters look to take advantage of the surge in demand for medical equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An investigation conducted by CNN has found that Thai companies are repackaging used gloves and reselling them worldwide, including in the US, where federal authorities are only beginning to understand the scope of the crisis.

Earlier this year, Thai law enforcement agencies raided warehouses of companies who sold reused nitrile gloves abroad. Workers at the warehouses used dye to color the used gloves and laundry dryers to dry them after washing.

In February and March, a US company warned the Biden administration that it had received shipments with visibly soiled gloves from a company based in Thailand.

The warning was issued to both Customs and Border Protection as well as the Food and Drug Administration.

In order to meet the emergency demand, the federal government lifted important regulations at the height of the pandemic - enabling the shipments of defective gloves to enter the country.

As supply dwindled, fraudsters found an opportunity to take advantage by selling soiled, second-hand gloves at a profit to governments and hospitals that were running desperately low on medical grade nitrile gloves.

In the US, the FDA has banned the use of powdered latex gloves.

Medical grade nitrile gloves are produced mostly in south and east Asia using natural rubber.

The factories that produce the gloves use highly specialized manufacturing processes and expertise, making it difficult to ramp up supply in a short period of time.

That created a void filled by shady businesses looking to turn a quick profit selling bogus gloves.

[jmacusa]

Yup. About 30,000 Americans die every year from the flu. No one has ever called for locking down the economy.

No one has ever said there has to be a mandatory flu vaccine or you lose you job or your liberty.

The only exception is if you work in the health care field as I do. It's the law in NJ. I have no problem with that. I chose to work in a hospital. Doesn't bother me. 400,000 Americans die every year from smoking and smoking related illness.

The cigarette companies are still in business. Honestly, I wish some people in the media would just shut up.

[Flaming Conservative]

I’d be surprised to find any that weren’t made in some Asian country or another.