Steve Ardagh is the founder and CEO of Eagle Protect, a leading glove company. He is known as &#;The Glove Guy&#; for his food safety leadership.
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In the glove world, the toxic chemical of the moment &#; phthalates &#; is a crucial ingredient often found in vinyl gloves. It is estimated to be used by two-thirds of the 200,000 quick service restaurants (QSR) in the U.S.
In a recent open letter to the glove industry, &#;The Glove Guy&#; called on his colleagues to stop selling vinyl gloves because of long-term contamination issues of phthalates to food and glove wearers.
He wrote: &#;In , my company Eagle Protect stopped selling vinyl gloves after we saw mounting research about their food safety implications, adverse effects on glove user health, and concerns over the environmental impact of toxic pollution during manufacture and disposal.
&#;Six years down the track, I am urging you to do the same &#; stop selling vinyl gloves,&#; he said.
&#;I think you already know the story,&#; he continues. &#;Toxic chemicals known as phthalates could be present in the vinyl (PVC) gloves you supply. Plasticizers, the most common of which are phthalates, make PVC flexible and make up to 41 percent of a glove&#;s weight. Phthalates can leach from vinyl gloves into food and the skin of the glove wearer, causing long-standing systemic toxicity.&#;
&#;The most recent consumer report () tested grocery stores and fast foods and found phthalates in almost every food item of the 100 tested, often at high levels,&#; he continues. &#;Multiple vinyl glove research studies over two decades, including this most recent report, highlight their contamination risks.&#;
Among the facts that caused him to call for a ban on vinyl gloves:
1. Phthalates leach into food from food preparation gloves. Consumers are then contaminated when food is ingested. Vinyl glove phthalates also contaminate glove wearers through skin absorption. Health problems have been shown to develop slowly, sometimes over decades, with long-standing vinyl glove use or food consumption, particularly fast food.
2. QSR food has 24 to 40 percent higher levels of phthalates than home foods, which are believed to be in part due to glove use.
3. With environmental, social, and governance goals becoming ingrained into business practices, the direct and complete environmental impact of glove use is being considered. Numerous highly hazardous chemicals are utilized or released during vinyl gloves&#; manufacture, use, and disposal. Production starts with chlorine, which requires asbestos, mercury, or PFAS, depending on the technology.
Ardagh continued to share his reasoning and research that caused him to call for the Vinyl glove ban:
Consequences Far and Wide
The health consequences linked to phthalate exposure in vinyl gloves can be considerable and include certain cancers, neurotoxicity, endocrine (hormonal) system disruption, infertility and birth defects, liver impairment, heightened susceptibility to asthma and thyroid disorders, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
In the U.S., the annual cost of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) is estimated at $340 billion (more than 2 percent of GDP). Phthalates are now banned or restricted from use in various products worldwide, including vinyl disposable gloves. When phthalates were banned in Japan, a 33 percent drop in EDC exposures was noted, indicating that the continued usage of phthalates in vinyl gloves may amount to several billion dollars in healthcare and productivity costs in the U.S. Since January , the state of Maine has banned DEHP and other phthalates from disposable gloves and food packaging.
Self-regulation is the only way
A glaring gap in FDA regulations relating to imported gloves &#; 90 percent of the U.S. supply &#; means it is up to glove suppliers to ensure the gloves they sell are truly safe, not just rely on manufacturers&#; paperwork. The unregulated glove industry was exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and described as &#;an industry riddled with fraud. My advice is simple: vinyl gloves are neither food-safe nor safe for the glove wearer. They should be banned. Your due diligence of the products you sell could save lives. What must you do?:
1 Understand, audit, and test the toxins in the gloves you supply. Are you prepared to cast a blind eye and continue supplying gloves known to contaminate food and the consumer?
2 Review your glove supply chain, especially quality control and ethical sourcing certifications, to eliminate phthalates and harmful chemicals from your supply chain.
3 Review your nitrile glove supply chain as a safer material for food service industry gloves.
By Steve Ardagh, Founder and CEO, Eagle Protect PBC
In response to PVC&#;s toxic threats, global governments and corporations have passed policies to phase out PVC, including vinyl (PVC) gloves, and switch to safer, healthier PVC-free products.
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This article explains the food safety implications of vinyl gloves and their potential adverse effects on both human and environmental health, with food safe and cost-effective alternatives.
Up to 50% of disposable vinyl glove raw materials are made from plasticizers, which make PVC flexible and soft enough to wear. Often plasticizers contain the phthalates DiNP, DEHP, and BPA as they are inexpensive.
Phthalates have been shown to leach from products into the human body via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption (Zota et al, ). Because they are not chemically bound to PVC, phthalate plasticizers can easily leach and evaporate into food, particularly fatty foods such as butter, oils, and meat &#; where they become mostly soluble.
Exposure to DEHP has been associated with adverse reproductive, neurobehavioral, and respiratory outcomes in children (Braun et al, ; Ejaredar at al ) and metabolic disease risk factors such as insulin resistance in adolescents and adults (James-Todd et al. ; Trasande and Attina ).
Both DiNP and DEHP have been added to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to California to cause cancer.
Studies conducted in Japan found use of disposable PVC gloves during the preparation and packaging of meals was a major source of dietary intake of DEHP (Tsumura et al a). The same study also demonstrated a decline in DEHP levels in prepared meals after the ban of DEHP in PVC gloves in Japan (Tsumura et al ).
Due to the microstructural organization of vinyl disposable gloves, there are associated risks that limit their performance and affect barrier protection, with the following food safety and worker related problems:
There is an accumulation of scientific evidence indicating vinyl disposable gloves (over other types) are more frequently responsible for cross-contamination events in food handling where glove type is identified.
The science of cross-contamination is complex, involving the physical chemistry of surfaces, soils and pathogens. Liquid and soil transfer to and from surfaces are controlled by forces of attraction governed by the surface tension of liquids (or semi-solids) and the surface free energy of surfaces.
Recent research conducted by international food safety consultant Barry Michaels has shown the risk of cross-contamination via vinyl gloves when used in food handling is significant &#; read the research summary and why quality nitrile gloves can reduce cross-contamination risk.
A proper accounting of the human health impacts of PVC across its lifecycle, including manufacturing and disposal issues and occupational exposure, finds PVC leads to the release of dangerous quantities of dioxin and other carcinogens. A report from the U.S. Green Building Council found, &#;When we add end of life with accidental landfill fires and backyard burning, the additional risk of dioxin emissions puts PVC consistently among the worst materials for human health impacts&#;&#;
In response to the health and environmental threats of PVC, below are some of the changes adopted around the world to switch to safer, healthier PVC-free products:
Despite all the evidence against the use of vinyl disposable gloves, why do they remain the predominant food handling glove used in the US, amplifying risks to food safety?
Cost is one factor, and historical purchasing decisions another. There is also a lack of information from glove suppliers as to the food safety dangers of disposable vinyl gloves to consumers, workers and ultimately food handling companies. Glove choice decision making often fails to factor in food safety aspects, giving a false sense of security and economy.
Nitrile gloves are a food safe and cost-effective alternative. Recent advances in the raw material formulations and manufacturing of nitrile gloves have resulted in thinner yet stronger, more flexible and better fitting gloves. The higher the quality of nitrile glove, the less failures (holes and rips), mitigating the risks of food contamination from a disposable glove.
Due to the raw material formulation and processes undertaken during manufacturing, better quality nitrile gloves have unique surface characteristics with overall surface energy and transfer characteristics similar to Teflon®, reducing the risk of potential cross-contamination in ready-to-eat foods, read more here.
Steve Ardagh is the founder and CEO of Eagle Protect. After establishing Eagle Protect as an industry leader in New Zealand, he relocated to the US and launched Eagle Protect PBC, bringing Eagle&#;s values of providing products that are certified food safe, ethically sourced and environmentally better. Steve is driven to keep consumers safe by reducing the risk of foodborne illness one high-quality disposable glove at a time.
Barry Michaels is an international scientific consultant on food safety, infectious disease transmission and glove use, and an independent advisor to academic institutions, government regulatory agencies, industry and nonprofit organizations. He has a lifetime of experience in infectious disease investigation, control and prevention in food and healthcare industries.
Eagle Protect is collaborating with Barry Michaels, international scientific consultant on food safety, to further food safety research and education, and to advance food safety practices for their customers.
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