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Glutened By A Pair Of Throw-away Gloves! (vent)


Sailing Girl

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Sailing Girl Apprentice

Talk about gluten being EVERYWHERE -- I was working in my storage shed yesterday and put on a pair of disposable gloves (as I often do to protect my hands when working with rough materials). One of the gloves came from a pair I'd had around awhile, though -- not the non-powdered type I normally buy. And when I took that glove off, I noticed white powder on my hand.

My first thought was, "Huh, that looks like powder, how strange." My second thought (about a quarter of a second later) was "Oh, c**p, that could be wheat." So I quickly put on another glove (one I knew was unpowdered and therefore safe) so that I wouldn't get the unidentified white stuff on my steering wheel, and ran home to scrub my hands and arms.

Well, too late. It's clear I've been glutened; the glove's the only possible thing that could have done it, and the timing of my symptoms works out. I was wearing the glove for a couple of hours and no doubt rubbed my mouth with my forearm or something during that time. At least it doesn't seem like a bad glutening (no migraine forming so far).

My question is, why WHY WHY? must they use wheat in EVERYTHING??? It's bad enough that we have to watch our food like hawks -- I'm sick (literally and figuratively) of having to suspect every single white powdered substance I run across! I wish I could live on an island where gluten was illegal and banned.

Sorry for the vent -- but this really bugs me. It seems like NOTHING is safe ...


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Lisa Mentor

Although I have never seen evidence, I find it highly unlikey that your work gloves would be powders by wheat products. If so, when you perspire with your gloves on, the wheat flour would turn to glue and you would be stuck for life with a rubber glove on your hand. :rolleyes:

It most likely would have been powdered by corn starch. You may, in fact, be reacting to the latex from the gloves themselves. Latex reactions can begin at any time during your life.

Whatever the cause, I do hope you feel better soon.

Sailing Girl Apprentice
Although I have never seen evidence, I find it highly unlikey that your work gloves would be powders by wheat products. If so, when you perspire with your gloves on, the wheat flour would turn to glue and you would be stuck for life with a rubber glove on your hand. :rolleyes:

It most likely would have been powdered by corn starch. You may, in fact, be reacting to the laytex from the gloves themselves. Laytex reactions can begin at any time during your life.

Whatever the cause, I do hope you feel better soon.

I know -- I thought of all that (including the rubber glove stuck forever on my hand by the glue in gluten :lol: !). But I don't react to latex (and I don't think this glove was latex anyway, just some kind of nylon), and while I do react to corn, it's a different reaction. And this is *definitely* a gluten reaction.

I generally can figure out when my exposure occurred from the timing of the reaction's onset (in my case, a really fun drop in blood sugar/blood pressure), and the timing is spot-on. So -- as unlikely as it seems (and it seemed that way to me, too!) -- it must have been the glove. There really wasn't anything else it could have been (unless I've suddenly become reactive to work itself :P !).

Thanks for the kind thoughts -- it doesn't seem like a bad glutening, anyway.

sneezydiva Apprentice
Although I have never seen evidence, I find it highly unlikey that your work gloves would be powders by wheat products. If so, when you perspire with your gloves on, the wheat flour would turn to glue and you would be stuck for life with a rubber glove on your hand. :rolleyes:

It most likely would have been powdered by corn starch. You may, in fact, be reacting to the latex from the gloves themselves. Latex reactions can begin at any time during your life.

Whatever the cause, I do hope you feel better soon.

I have to agree. I'd be shocked if gluten was in the powdered gloves. As soon as you sweat on it, it would get sticky. Just like the gluten on envelopes does. It would defeat the purpose of powdering the gloves.

Sailing Girl Apprentice
I have to agree. I'd be shocked if gluten was in the powdered gloves. As soon as you sweat on it, it would get sticky. Just like the gluten on envelopes does. It would defeat the purpose of powdering the gloves.

Well, maybe it wasn't the gloves then (although the powder inside did seem sticky, and my hand wasn't sweating much). But if it wasn't the glove, that bothers me even more -- I've carefully created an entire gluten-free bubble around myself, and I *still* get sick!

Maybe I should found the first gluten-free island-based republic ...

BallardWA Rookie

Maybe I should found the first gluten-free island-based republic ...

RiceGuy Collaborator
One of the gloves came from a pair I'd had around awhile, though -- not the non-powdered type I normally buy.

See, that makes me wonder if you might have gotten CC, or in this case "second-hand gluten". Literally. Even if you are the only one to ever wear that glove, I don't dismiss the possibility that the moisture left inside from previous use might have become home to some bacteria, mold, or some other thing to which you react.

I Googled and didn't see much, but this is one that came up:

Open Original Shared Link


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ravenwoodglass Mentor

I have also be glutened by powdered gloves, I got myself good not too long ago. They can and do use oat and wheat starch in some brands of gloves. There is stuff that will come up if you google household gloves and wheat or oats. There were quite a few pages about kosher regulations so I think it may be an issue for those that eat that way also.

Lisa Mentor
I have also be glutened by powdered gloves, I got myself good not too long ago. They can and do use oat and wheat starch in some brands of gloves. There is stuff that will come up if you google household gloves and wheat or oats. There were quite a few pages about kosher regulations so I think it may be an issue for those that eat that way also.

Rubber gloves - Patent 3872515A silicone rubber glove having a hand portion of thin wall section to cling .... corn starch powder or other acceptable dry lubricants such as wheat starch, ...

www.freepatentsonline.com/3872515.html - 33k - Cached - Similar pages

.......................Ok, learned something new today. :unsure:

jerseyangel Proficient

Oh for heaven's sake--one more minefield for us to dodge :angry:

I didn't know about this either--thanks!

Judyin Philly Enthusiast

iT'S HAPPENED TO ME 4 TIMES.

ONCE IN THE DENTIST CHAIR

SHE USED NON LAYTEX GLOVES AND 'FLIPPED OFF THE GOVES' AFTER THE NOVICANE AND WHEN SHE CAME BACK SHE SAID ................OMG........WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYE........THE WHITE IS ALL BLOOD RED............... IT WAS ITCHING LIKE CRAZY.

WHO KNOW WHAT IT WAS BUT I PULLED OFF GLOVES TO ANSWER THE PHONE AND EYE WAS ITCHING AND ITCHED IT AND THE WHITE STARTED SWELLING AROUND THE COLORED PART OF EYE.

SO..................WHO KNOWS WHY OR WHAT...........BUT I CAN'T USE GLOVES WITH ANY POWER.

GOOD LUCK

JUDY

home-based-mom Contributor
Oh for heaven's sake--one more minefield for us to dodge :angry:

I didn't know about this either--thanks!

My sentiments exactly. :angry:

However, I like the idea of a gluten-free island nation! :lol: Unfortunately, I think it would soon suffer from over-population! :P

sneezydiva Apprentice
Rubber gloves - Patent 3872515A silicone rubber glove having a hand portion of thin wall section to cling .... corn starch powder or other acceptable dry lubricants such as wheat starch, ...

www.freepatentsonline.com/3872515.html - 33k - Cached - Similar pages

.......................Ok, learned something new today. :unsure:

Wow! You learn something new everyday! That is the last thing I would've suspected.

Lisa Mentor

Open Original Shared Link

Here is Playtex Contact Information. It would be interesting to ask them what their dusting is derived from in their Playtex Gloves.

taweavmo3 Enthusiast

Does this include hospital gloves as well? I work in a hospital, and I've often felt like something at work is making me sick. I go through a TON of gloves throughout the day. I go in feeling fine, then like clockwork, about an hour later my stomach starts grumbling. I'll definately have to check them out further....although I don't know what I would do if it were the gloves that were making me sick. I may have to find a new profession!

Lisa Mentor
Does this include hospital gloves as well? I work in a hospital, and I've often felt like something at work is making me sick. I go through a TON of gloves throughout the day. I go in feeling fine, then like clockwork, about an hour later my stomach starts grumbling. I'll definately have to check them out further....although I don't know what I would do if it were the gloves that were making me sick. I may have to find a new profession!

Non-powdered gloves are available. I request that my dentist use them.

Judyin Philly Enthusiast
Non-powdered gloves are available. I request that my dentist use them.

ditto.........my dentist used some today and they are powder and latex free.

judy

7-cody Apprentice

how do you get glutened by gloves? by eating them?

Juliebove Rising Star
iT'S HAPPENED TO ME 4 TIMES.

ONCE IN THE DENTIST CHAIR

SHE USED NON LAYTEX GLOVES AND 'FLIPPED OFF THE GOVES' AFTER THE NOVICANE AND WHEN SHE CAME BACK SHE SAID ................OMG........WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYE........THE WHITE IS ALL BLOOD RED............... IT WAS ITCHING LIKE CRAZY.

WHO KNOW WHAT IT WAS BUT I PULLED OFF GLOVES TO ANSWER THE PHONE AND EYE WAS ITCHING AND ITCHED IT AND THE WHITE STARTED SWELLING AROUND THE COLORED PART OF EYE.

SO..................WHO KNOWS WHY OR WHAT...........BUT I CAN'T USE GLOVES WITH ANY POWER.

GOOD LUCK

JUDY

Aha! That could explain the weird rash my daughter had when she came from the dentist the last time.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
how do you get glutened by gloves? by eating them?

The residue from the powder can become airborne or if we rub our nose, eyes, or another area that has a mucous membrane or if we eat, smoke a cig or do anything that enables those molecules to come into contact with our mucous membranes we will get glutened. Gluten does not have to be digested by the stomach to get into the system and posion us.

Judyin Philly Enthusiast
The residue from the powder can become airborne or if we rub our nose, eyes, or another area that has a mucous membrane or if we eat, smoke a cig or do anything that enables those molecules to come into contact with our mucous membranes we will get glutened. Gluten does not have to be digested by the stomach to get into the system and posion us.

wonderful explanation Raven!

thanks for telling it in such a clear way.

Will pass to my dentist

thanks again

judy

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