Authorities seal illegal factory rewashing nitrile gloves for resale

BANGI: An illegal factory that washes nitrile gloves and resells them as fit for medical grade use was sealed by the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj).

In a joint raid with the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and Health Ministry's Medical Device Authority (MDA), the council's enforcement officers found plastic bundles of nitrile gloves at the factory's processing area.

MPKj Enforcement director Shariman Mohd Nor (pic) said the gloves were being put through washing machines with a solution of bleach, tyre polish and blue dye.

He said many of the gloves still had stains on them after the washing process.

"The danger is, we do not know the origin of these gloves," said Shariman on Thursday (Feb 25).

MPKj believes the illegal factory, which is located in Bangi, has been operating for the past three months without a business licence and the rewashed gloves are being sold through online shopping sites.

They were also being sold to walk-ins, added Shariman.

MDA enforcement unit senior assistant director Dery Akmal Abdul Rahman, who was also at the site, said initial investigations indicated that some of the gloves came from manufacturers that categorised the products as second grade.

"They are not rejects but they did not meet the quality control standards of the manufacturer," he said.

Dery Akmal added that investigations to pinpoint the exact source of the gloves were still ongoing and no compounds have been issued as yet.

He said the nitrile gloves found at the factory would be confiscated. The seizure includes 86,981 pieces of "medical examination gloves" as well as other disposable gloves that do not come under MDA jurisdiction.