SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. , Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Food safety icon Darin Detwiler and Eagle Protect are spearheading the inaugural ' Global Glove Safety Day ' on September 18 .
This day serves as a powerful reminder that food safety is truly #InOurHands, both in a literal and figurative sense. It also underscores the critical role that safe food handling gloves play while honoring the memory of Dr Detwiler's son, Riley, who tragically passed away at 16 months from E.coli in 1993.
Why does Global Glove Safety Day matter? Over 100 billion protective gloves are used in the United States every year by workers in multiple industries, including food processing and food service. 90 percent of the US supply is imported. Thought to protect wearers and consumers, a large proportion of gloves imported every year contain microbial contaminants that can be injurious, infectious, and even fatal.
What is the evidence? A peer-reviewed paper published in July 2024 in the Journal of Food Protection spotlighted the variety of pathogens found in gloves imported into the US. Pathogens include Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus , and Anthrax.
The deaths of four babies have been linked to gloves contaminated with the fungi Aspergillus. An independent test of 2,800 gloves from 26 different glove brands found human fecal indicator organisms in 46 percent of gloves tested. Why gloves are contaminated? Polluted water sources used in manufacturing and the absence of any.