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Cannabis workers wearing disposable gloves regularly have every reason to be shocked – even horrified – to find that the products are contaminated by harmful pathogens, chemicals, yeasts, and fungi. All of these can lead to expensive product recalls These gloves were just taken out of an unused box. A multi-year study on metagenomic testing revealed that nitrile glove surfaces were contaminated.
The gloves were contaminated before they were packed and shipped to your supplier. Contamination occurs in the glove manufacturing process due to the fact that manufacturers are operating substandard facilities and trying to save money. We trace the path of the surface pathogen from the primary source all the way to the user.
Sources of Polluted Water
How does contamination enter the supply chain of manufacturing? The biggest threat is upstream, both in a literal and figurative sense. Most overseas glove producers don’t use clean water. They use putrid water that can be contaminated with pesticides and agricultural fertilizers, industrial wastewater, and human and animal waste. Glove production uses a lot of hot water, and so it’s important to use clean water.
Inferior Raw Materials
Poor quality raw materials can introduce contamination. Gloves made from cheap materials may save money but they can also contain toxic chemicals and other unsafe filler ingredients. A recent recall of cannabis was caused by chemical contamination in gloves. The use of inferior raw materials can reduce the performance and durability of gloves and cause irritations to the skin.
Former Cleaning & Drying
When manufacturers do not raise the temperature of water tanks high enough to kill bacteria, contamination becomes a greater problem. The ceramic hand-shaped formers that are used to make gloves undergo a cleaning process involving bleach and hot water. Microbial contamination may occur when the temperature of the water or the chlorine concentration is not high enough.
Inadequate drying procedures
After the previous cleaning and drying stages, gloves are then vulcanized in ovens (heated-treated) to strengthen and elasticize. Gloves then undergo a drying process that is carried out in industrial ovens, which also need to be cleaned regularly. Some glove manufacturers can reduce their utility costs by shortening tumblers’ drying cycles that aren’t regularly cleaned. What is the result? The result?
The Packing Room
Gloves are then boxed after the drying process. This is done automatically by new tech manufacturing, but gloves can be packed in open-air, unhygienic packing rooms, where contaminants from human skin, such as fecal matter can contaminate the gloves. The unhygienic conditions in these packing rooms can expose gloves to further contamination before they are packed into boxes.
As can be seen, each stage of glove production has its own set contamination risksspan size=”font-weight 400 ;”>. You’ll be disappointed if you think government regulations, industry oversight and compliance requirements will prevent contamination. Stay tuned for our next blog on contamination.
The post Members Blog: How and When Does Glove Contamination Happen? first appeared on National Cannabis Industry Association.
