As the world begins to approach “normalcy” by reopening schools and various businesses, gloves remain a hard to attain commodity. Price gauging is running rampant in the PPE industry as brokers are tripling and quadrupling prices of nitrile medical gloves.
Due to shortages, a black market of fake gloves labeled “medical grade” and “examination” grade have surfaced leaving front-line professionals and essential workers at a loss.
The FDA regulates medical grade gloves that provide greater protection than standard vinyl non-medical gloves. Vinyl gloves can break apart when exposed to certain chemicals, which can compromise a health professional in the field.
The U.S is not a large manufacturer of these highly sought after nitrile gloves. The U.S imports approximately 70 billion gloves each year from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Malaysian official have reported that they have encountered over a dozen cases of fabricated letters and other forged documents that brokers are using to accelerate fraudulent deals.
Reported glove prices in the US have been reported anywhere from $4 a box to $15 a box for 100 gloves. Gloves are in very high demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Various industries such as hospitality, culinary, and many other essential workers utilize large volumes of nitrile gloves to stay safe.
Back in mid-july, U.S Customs and Border protection banned imports from “Malaysia’s Top Glove Corp. BHd, which produces 1.7 billion gloves imported into the U.S. each month” according to the Wall Street Journal. A spokesman from the CBP mentioned that they are actively investigating “evidence of forced labor” within their manufacturing plants.
Here at Terratori we ensure our deals are vetted and verified from start to finish. Are you in the market for bulk PPE gloves and masks? Reach out to us today.
