News Forum - Huge quantities of used medical gloves shipped from Thailand to US

[Thaiger]

Huge quantities of used medical gloves have been shipped from Thailand as shady operators seek to cash in on Covid-fuelled demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE, according to a report from CNN following a months-long investigation. With demand having skyrocketed around the world, an underground industry based around reusing PPE has emerged in Southeast Asia, with the shoddy medical equipment having in turn found its way into the international supply chain. According to the CNN investigation, tens of millions of dirty, second-hand nitrile gloves have reached the United States, with the potential to place frontline healthcare workers and patients […]

The story Huge quantities of used medical gloves shipped from Thailand to US as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Jason]

I think one of the major outcomes of this pandemic is and will be sovereignty over production of PPE and medications. Countries like my own have already taken back their ability to manufacture these things at home.

[Shade_Wilder]

50 minutes ago, Jason said:

I think one of the major outcomes of this pandemic is and will be sovereignty over production of PPE and medications. Countries like my own have already taken back their ability to manufacture these things at home.

 

A very thoughtful post, Mr J. 

 

I tend to agree; my country has also re-made fallen pharmaceutical facilities in the realization that future diseases are likely, and we already made the rubber gloves and such like.

 

That prompted another question or two; what other industries did we allow to be off-shored in the name of either trade agreements or globalization? And, what are the implications of a decision to re-make certain stuff at home?

 

Depending where you are in the world, there is a whole host of things that you don't make anymore but that you still use, often on a daily basis. Is all your food grown/made in your native country anymore? Are computers made where you live? Are cars and/or household goods still made in your native country? Do facilities for various ore-extraction still run in your native countries? If you give children toys at Christmas, where will they be made? Should you boot up accounting software at tax time, where will it have been written? If someone finally develops a better paperclip, where will it be made? 

 

Most of the stuff we import is made elsewhere because it is cheaper to do and have it imported, or it is specialized, or another reason (any Economists/Trade Experts are welcome to jump in here), but what will happen if we decided that a list, and perhaps a long list, of stuff must now be made 'at home' for security reasons? The cost of production will certainly go up, and that in turn will have a negative effect on our cost of living. There will likely be more competition for a few vital needs, resources and/or materials; that also will likely drive-up costs which will affect our personal financial bottom lines. If we mandate that certain stuff must be made at home, how does that interact with a Free Market?

 

Will we become more reliant on trade agreements or try to be less so? Local/regional trade agreements or will we go back to Global ones (doubtful)? Further, trade agreements are rarely just about trade or economics, but always have a strategic security aspect to them; will these become tighter or looser? Would future trade agreements also have to include a military component to safeguard supply lines? Would it make sense to sign one without that? 

 

This really is a transitional time for Humanity; I wonder what the future historians will say about this era?

 

 

 

[Bob20]

Most international press is reporting big on the Thai fraud with recycled gloves that contain holes and even traces of blood, which they deliberately tried to hide by adding blue colouring.

I'm starting to understand why Thailand is "testing" vaccines that come directly from a well-controlled pharmaceutical facility.

"Evil doers are evil dreaders"

P.S. 

The paperwork for exporting this fraudulent junk apparently didn't meet with the same difficulties that the paperwork for the donated vaccines is experiencing either

[JoePKT]

Makes you wonder how the quality is of the locally produced Astra Zenica. I understand that some countries have, rightfully, not approved the Thai AZ vaccine. Also explains why so many of my friends feel ill, with even some fatalities, after receiving this. QA in Thailand normally do not go hand in hand.

[LoongFred]

5 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Huge quantities of used medical gloves have been shipped from Thailand as shady operators seek to cash in on Covid-fuelled demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE, according to a report from CNN following a months-long investigation. With demand having skyrocketed around the world, an underground industry based around reusing PPE has emerged in Southeast Asia, with the shoddy medical equipment having in turn found its way into the international supply chain. According to the CNN investigation, tens of millions of dirty, second-hand nitrile gloves have reached the United States, with the potential to place frontline healthcare workers and patients […]

The story Huge quantities of used medical gloves shipped from Thailand to US as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

The first thing I look at is the source of this information. With CNN 's record for false information, it need to be carefully vetted. 

[ThailandBob]

Seems like child's play to ship tens of millions of used medical gloves anywhere in the world, but try to ship a couple of kilos of meth and, well....

[Stonker]

The only thing that surprises me is that "Paddy the Room" bothered to ship any gloves at all given that they hardly had a reputation to protect - unbelievable that anyone would pay $2m in advance.

That's not defending scammers, but seriously .....

[Craig]

It’s not surprising.  Things here seem to be done “half ass” for low pay.  Not surprising someone is trying to make some money off of “half ass” PPE.  

[Stardust]

16 hours ago, LoongFred said:

The first thing I look at is the source of this information. With CNN 's record for false information, it need to be carefully vetted. 

This not happened only in the USA, they also sold used gloves in Thailand. Your comments also need to be carefully vetted.

[LoongFred]

8 minutes ago, Stardust said:

This not happened only in the USA, they also sold used gloves in Thailand. Your comments also need to be carefully vetted.

OK CNN needs careful vetting in both US and Thailand.  Agreed.the 

[Stardust]

28 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

OK CNN needs careful vetting in both US and Thailand.  Agreed.the 

It was not only in CNN, if you would watched Thai news, you would know it many month ago! 

[gummy]

44 minutes ago, Stardust said:

It was not only in CNN, if you would watched Thai news, you would know it many month ago! 

A good point  and your reply is aimed especially to people on here who regularly puffs their chests out, claiming they mostly watch Thai TV due to their excellent ability of the language etc etc. A typical case of BS baffles brains but if you have the latter in limited quantities you eventually slip up as as you say , had they watched Thai news months ago they would have already been aware.

[billywillyjones]

Probably used for prostate exams. 

[Bob20]

1 minute ago, gummy said:

A good point  and your reply is aimed especially to people on here who regularly puffs their chests out, claiming they mostly watch Thai TV due to their excellent ability of the language etc etc. A typical case of BS baffles brains but if you have the latter in limited quantities you eventually slip up as as you say , had they watched Thai news months ago they would have already been aware.

It's not just CNN. It's in lots of foreign media at the moment. Not just for the fact that it happened, but court cases have been filed already. 

[Jason]

That it has been discovered is the big positive here...no matter how it was discovered. Thailand could manufacture their own PPE. The rubber for gloves is in abundance in Thailand. So many manufacturing skills have been shipped off to countries with low paid workers. It's time for all countries with the capability, to bring back their own manufacturing....in preparation for the next pandemic...

[Stardust]

36 minutes ago, gummy said:

A good point  and your reply is aimed especially to people on here who regularly puffs their chests out, claiming they mostly watch Thai TV due to their excellent ability of the language etc etc. A typical case of BS baffles brains but if you have the latter in limited quantities you eventually slip up as as you say , had they watched Thai news months ago they would have already been aware.

As Bob already mentioned it is also on other english speaking news outlets and also there not a new news because already went to the courts. And my reaction was like that because he claimed CNN always have false news but he not check other news channels then? This is then really strange and I not believe his comments then and be careful about his comments. By the way there are also Thai news in english like Thai pbs for example.

[Stardust]

16 minutes ago, Stardust said:

As Bob already mentioned it is also on other english speaking news outlets and also there not a new news because already went to the courts. And my reaction was like that because he claimed CNN always have false news but he not check other news channels then? This is then really strange and I not believe his comments then and be careful about his comments. By the way there are also Thai news in english like Thai pbs for example.

It was not the first and often last year in the media (english and thai) .

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2203879/probe-into-bogus-exports

But like ever with no results or arrests

[Tanuki]

Reminds me of the exports of 'Rotten rice' case from a few years ago. TiT.

[LoongFred]

2 hours ago, gummy said:

A good point  and your reply is aimed especially to people on here who regularly puffs their chests out, claiming they mostly watch Thai TV due to their excellent ability of the language etc etc. A typical case of BS baffles brains but if you have the latter in limited quantities you eventually slip up as as you say , had they watched Thai news months ago they would have already been aware.

That was several months ago and died in the Thai news. It didn't seem like a major issue. If you want to keep up on news in Thai being able to understand Thai is critical in my opinion. To bad you live in the dark, but Thaiger News tries but often rely on other sources,  so my point was it needs to be vetted.

BTW I'm a big guy and don't need to puff out my chest to get attention. 

 

[Poolie]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

That it has been discovered is the big positive here...no matter how it was discovered. Thailand could manufacture their own PPE. The rubber for gloves is in abundance in Thailand. So many manufacturing skills have been shipped off to countries with low paid workers. It's time for all countries with the capability, to bring back their own manufacturing....in preparation for the next pandemic...

Ah Gawd 'elp us, we havent finished with this one yet.

[LoongFred]

4 hours ago, Stardust said:

This not happened only in the USA, they also sold used gloves in Thailand. Your comments also need to be carefully vetted.

My point was and is that CNN is not a reliable source. We need to be sure reporting was credible. 

Most likely the issues in Thailand and USA are unrelated.

[LoongFred]

3 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

My point was and is that CNN is not a reliable source. We need to be sure reporting was credible. 

Most likely the issues in Thailand and USA are unrelated.

Thailand is a big latex producer. Although nitrile groves are good and chemical resistant,  many health care workers prefer latex because they are less likely to tear. However, nitrile is needed it the person is allergic to latex.

I think trying to reuse nitrile gloves would be hard.

 

[anarchofarmer]

can't help but find it amusing! Only a few years ago the states was kicking Thailands' arse about fraudulent products resulting in multiple raids which were previously unheard of! Is it safe to assume that the US purchaser was a state body, with the multiple layers of protective transparency pompously propagated by their State Dept, with full access to their governments data on Thailand as a reliable, safe, secure and honest supplier of virtually  anything???

[Poolie]

16 minutes ago, anarchofarmer said:

can't help but find it amusing! Only a few years ago the states was kicking Thailands' arse about fraudulent products resulting in multiple raids which were previously unheard of! Is it safe to assume that the US purchaser was a state body, with the multiple layers of protective transparency pompously propagated by their State Dept, with full access to their governments data on Thailand as a reliable, safe, secure and honest supplier of virtually  anything???

Hopefully, yes.

Beggars cant be choosers and they've got beggar all else on the shelves. It's all rotting away on the ships outside Long Beach.