Malaysian natural rubber latex prices ended the week up about 4.5% from the week before, trading at 696.50 sen/kg Friday. For the year, prices have soared over 13%, according to the Malaysian Rubber Board.
Further reading:
Rubber price at 2-year high on tight supply
Malaysia happy with current rubber prices
The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), a part of of the Food and Drug Administration, issued an import alert January 4 following determination that the many foreign glove manufacturers have “failed to consistently provide medical gloves of adequate quality”. According to the alert, more than 200 glove manufacturers are currently in detention; of those, 16 are in Level 2 and 12 are in Level 3 detention.
When inspected medical gloves fail to meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) upon FDA inspection, the manufacturer is placed in one of three levels of detention whereby any shipment may be detained by the FDA without physical examination. Repeat offenders face escalating levels of detention, with each level requiring additional evidence of compliance in order to be removed from the list. In Levels 1 and 2, manufacturers must provide consecutive independent lab test results confirming that their medical gloves are not adulterated for removal consideration. Removal from Level 3 detention also requires independent audits or FDA inspection.
We applaud the FDA for its continued efforts to ensure the safety of those whom rely on medical gloves for protection.
Last Friday we reported natural rubber latex was trading at 637 sen/kg. Today, the trading price has jumped to 666.50–a 5% increase from just one week ago, according to the Malaysian Rubber Board. Supplies from the world’s eight largest producers had fallen by 6.4% for the year as of November 2009 (Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries). In Malaysia and Thailand, the world’s two largest natural rubber producing countries, 2009 production was off by 25% and 10% respectively.
Despite reports that many latex glove manufacturers have already issued price increases, more may be on the way. Natural rubber latex prices are typically a lagging indicator of latex glove prices, since most manufacturers stock at least 30 days of raw materials.
From January 2010 issue of Safety+Health:
“CDC and OSHA estimate as much as 40 percent of a workforce could be affected by a pandemic and be absent from work due to illness, having to care for a sick family member, or having to care for children in the event of a school closure. In addition to absenteeism, organizations must contend with presenteeism–when a sick worker is physically present. According to CDC, an individual who comes to work with the H1N1 virus will infect 10 percent of the workforce.”
The US Center for Disease Control is warning Americans not to become complacent regarding the H1N1 Flu Virus. The virus continues to effect Americans across the country with four New England states still reporting widespread activity. Between August 30 and December 26, there were more than 37,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations and nearly 1,700 deaths in the United States (CDC).
Read more:
CDC: H1N1 still circulating; vaccine plentiful
As Swine Flu Wanes, Don’t Be Fooled
