Now here's a little worry for those of us who feel we don't have
enough to fret about.
Carl Jarvis
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert <robert@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2016 10:32:33 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: unsafe surgery
To: carjar82@xxxxxxxxx
Carl,
Read this before your next doctor visit or hospital stay.
The gloves worn by medical professionals - surgeons, family doctors,
nurses, clinicians and other health workers - to protect themselves
and their patients often contain a powder that can cause inflammation,
infections, asthma and even anaphylactic shock.
That's why - nearly two decades ago, in 1998 - Public Citizen formally
demanded that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban powdered
latex surgical and examination gloves.
But the FDA failed to act.
Even though safer, equally effective alternatives have been available
for decades.
And patients, along with health workers, kept suffering - and even dying.
So we petitioned the agency again in 2011.
Earlier this week, the FDA at last proposed banning these unsafe gloves.
*As reported by "The New York Times", "Public Citizen, the consumer
watchdog group, petitioned the FDA to ban powdered gloves in 1998,
citing allergic reactions caused by cornstarch powder used in most
brands."*
*The "Times" went on to quote our own Dr. Sidney Wolfe:*
*"The fact that it took the FDA 18 years to propose banning powdered
surgical gloves from the market highlights how recklessly negligent
the agency is. There is absolutely no new scientific information today
that we didn't have in 1998."*
Had the FDA banned powdered medical gloves back then, hundreds of
thousands of health workers and patients would have been spared
preventable, often life-threatening adverse reactions.
But if not for Public Citizen, the FDA still wouldn't be taking action.
This is what Public Citizen does.
- When corporate greed or government inaction put people's health and
safety at risk, we step up.
- And we keep fighting - day after day, week after week, month after
month, year after year - as long as it takes.
- And we win.
Thank you for being part of Public Citizen's mission to keep people safe.
Onward,
Robert Weissman
President, Public Citizen
*P.S. Public Citizen accepts no funding from Big Business or Uncle
Sam. Our independence and integrity just aren't for sale. Everything
we do together is powered by individual supporters like you. Please
contribute today so we can keep fighting - and winning. [
https://secure.citizen.org/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=9439&track=w16idGloves0325a
] Thank you.*
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