It’s no secret that fast food is bad for us. However, we may not realize just how bad it really is. According to a new discovery made by the Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging, a national group of environmental organizations, a chemical in the plastic gloves worn by fast food workers is incredibly dangerous to human reproductive health. Yikes.
The Coalition sampled and tested 123 plastic gloves from 32 top glove distributors that are used in 15 popular fast food chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, ad Burger King, within the U.S. They found that over two thirds of fast food chains surveyed use vinyl gloves that contain ortho-phthalates, chemicals that have been shown to harm reproductive health and brain development.
Vinyl (PVC) gloves that contain phthalates are currently highly restricted in Europe and Japan and were recently banned by the state of Maine.
Furthermore, one in seven gloves tested by the Coalition contained phthalates, and one third of the top glove distributors still sold gloves made with phthalates. And this is really bad news to U.S. fast food consumers.
“Phthalates exposure in utero is linked to genital malformations in baby boys, infertility later in life, and ADHD diagnoses in children,” the Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging explains in the study.
They also note that over 750,000 women of childbearing age are exposed to dangerous levels of phthalates each day in the U.S.
Pretty much the whole industry is F’d... https://t.co/A310O2uLRg
— Andy Gourlay (@andy_aztec) August 12, 2019
Specifically, the Coalition found four independent phthalates in vinyl globes: widely-banned DEHP, DINP, DIDP, and DPHP, each of which have raised concern in the science community about possible hormone disruption.
“Scientists are also raising early warnings about the common phthalate alternative, known as DOTP (or DEHT), which we found in 6 out of 7 vinyl gloves tested,” the Coalition reports. Human exposure to DOTP is expected to increase, and with that more hormone disruption among humans can be expected.
So, what are fast food chains and other restaurants to do?
The Coalition recommends ditching vinyl gloves altogether and opting for more frequent hand washing or having employees wear gloves made with polyethylene plastic, which does not contain chemical softeners.
Hand Washing/Sanitization is one of the most underrated practices of good health.
— Man Tonai (O.D.) (@DrTONYAGBATOR) July 29, 2019
Please, learn to sanitize your hands often.
The rate at which you suffer from ailments such as TYPHOID will reduce if you practice this. pic.twitter.com/A9EFynzG4L
Currently Panera Bread and Subway are only using polyethylene gloves. And four out of five gloves from Starbucks were made with polyethylene.
To read the entire report on vinyl gloves from the Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging, you can click here. The bottom line is that it’s up to fast food chains and other restaurants to nix the use of vinyl gloves for the safety of their consumers and employees.
Plus, limiting the use of plastic gloves within restaurants can drastically reduce the amount of single-use plastic currently plaguing our environment.
It’ll take a lot of trust to make sure employees are keeping their hands clean, but it’s a risk worth taking now knowing how toxic those vinyl gloves can be.
Although, some people are definitely not down to live in a world where plastic gloves don’t exist anymore. And TBH, we get it.
We don’t know where those hands have been. It makes us nervous, too.
If we were to live in a world without plastic gloves, then it would be up to the managers to make sure the staff is keeping things as clean as possible. Otherwise, there will be some very unhappy (and potentially sick) customers.
I want to see all fast food workers wearing plastic gloves when prepping food on fast food commercials appearing on TV. Bare, I just plugged the toilet and didn’t wash my hands, do you want lettuce? pic.twitter.com/UE17Z6Wpou
— Kevin Matthews (@Whatareyougoofy) May 1, 2018
Smart. But also, the future may not be on these people’s side.
As many would argue, hey, at least he’s wearing gloves. Right?
Me watching the sandwich artist at subway not change his gloves between the person in front of me’s meatball sub and my veggie sub but not saying anything because I know how terrible it is to work in fast food and value compassion for other humans above my own inconveniences. pic.twitter.com/RyYtYmsilS
— Jenna W-G (@themorrigantatt) December 8, 2018
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but gloves are probably obsolete in many of your favorite non-fast food restaurants. In fact, the CDC found that those who do wear gloves are less likely to wash their hands throughout the day than those who don’t.
Plus, kitchen staff who wear gloves are more likely to cross contaminate because they do not change their gloves in between activities. Therefore, wearing gloves actually increases the chance of spreading germs and bacteria.
man, if y’all think restaurants above the fast food level use gloves all the time, boy do i have some news for you. https://t.co/cRVptI2ZN7
— Aaric Knowlton (@EKnowAll) April 1, 2018
Will a gloveless land mean Darwinism will all of the sudden kickstart into high gear? Imagine.
The government should make it illegal for fast food workers to wear gloves. Then mild germs will get on the food. Kill the weak and strengthen those who don’t get sick
— Mom i know you just got tw*tter please dont look (@dcaudill724) March 25, 2019
Now knowing that vinyl gloves are toxic, are you still weirded out by the idea of ditching gloves in fast food kitchens? We’re on the fence.
Switching to a greener, healthier alternative glove, like these plant-based gloves from Vegware, could be the way to go. Take note, fast food chains of America.
