A new hazard of cornstarch, an absorbable dusting powder.

Cornstarch is currently the only powder used in the manufacture of surgical and examination gloves. The purpose of this study was to determine if cornstarch damages local tissue defenses in contaminated wounds. It was found that in contaminated wounds, cornstarch enhanced the growth of bacteria and elicited exaggerated inflammatory responses as measured by wound induration. As a result of this investigation, we do not recommend the use of gloves with cornstarch powders.