Wearing gloves in shopping venues or supermarkets can spread viral pathogens to more surfaces, instead of protecting the wearer, a medical expert warned on Tuesday last week.
Most medical gloves are not designed to stop viruses, pulmonologist Ooi Hean (黃軒), director of China Medical University Hospital’s International Center, wrote on Facebook.
While gloves can protect the skin from body fluids and certain harmful chemicals, touching a surface can allow viral pathogens to penetrate the polyester material via microscopic holes at a rate of several thousand per second, he said.
Another risk associated with gloves is inadvertently transferring contaminants to the skin during their removal, he said.
One study on a superbug found that 13 percent of medical workers who handled a contaminated source and then removed their gloves without washing their hands were later found to have the bacteria on their hands, he added.
Gloves are fragile and can tear if not inspected often, he said, adding that dampness, heat and abrasions cause polyester to degrade.
Gloves also diminish a person’s sense of touch — not feeling an object’s griminess or stickiness can prevent them from realizing that it is unsanitary, he said.
“Studies have shown that gloves can give people a false sense of security and encourage them to touch more surfaces, like elevator buttons and shopping carts,” he said.
Wearing gloves in daily life does not protect the wearer or reduce the risk of viral transmission, he said, adding that health experts recommend frequent hand washing.
Wearing gloves is appropriate when providing care for an infectious patient, cleaning, or working around sharp objects or harmful substances, he added.
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