# U.S. Mail Carriers wearing rubber gloves **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741 "2017-09-19T18:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/21 "2017-09-20T08:57:36Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > I’ve seen mail carriers wearing them. I assume it’s for defense against germs. Do you know how many germs are out there??? I’m not sure, but I believe quite a lot. I tried counting them once, but ran out of fingers and toes. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Medlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hi\_Medlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Medlo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/22 "2017-09-20T12:26:49Z")
I’m a retired letter carrier. After the anthrax attacks in the early 2000’s Nitrile gloves were available to us and we were advised to glove up when emptying collection boxes. That lasted a few weeks. Also,handling paper all day is very drying to the fingertips and often results in painful splits there. The carrier may have been wearing gloves either to prevent that or to protect their fingertips while they healed. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/23 "2017-09-20T13:14:09Z")
My regular mailman wears gloves and I live in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/24 "2017-09-20T14:32:54Z")
Never saw a USPS postal carrier wearing gloves. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/25 "2017-09-20T19:34:48Z")
I had a college roommate who worked in a mailroom, and handling all that paper dried his hands out terribly, to the point of the skin cracking and bleeding. This was despite many lotions and potions, used obsessively. He eventually started wearing nitrile gloves and the problem resolved. I used to tease him about it until I spent a whole day stuffing envelopes and my hands ended up dry and irritated too. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/26 "2017-09-21T05:03:03Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > My first assumption would be that if you’re touching things thousands of times a day; your hands will inevitably get dirty. I suspect this is correct. I reshelve books in a library and I wear latex gloves for just that reason. J. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/27 "2017-09-26T15:33:12Z")
My USPS carrier wears blue latex gloves. After seeing this thread, I asked him why. He said to keep his hands clean. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/28 "2017-09-26T15:37:57Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I suspect carfentanyl, or one of its even more potent variants. Lethal thru skin contact. Or past bad experiences with the Norovirus family on E. Main St. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/29 "2017-09-26T16:14:08Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > My USPS carrier wears blue latex gloves. After seeing this thread, I asked him why. He said to keep his hands clean. Maybe half the carriers around here also wear those blue latex gloves, and have been over the last several years. Daytime high temps are still around 90F here, so it’s not a cold-weather thing at all. ---
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/30 "2017-09-26T22:46:09Z")
Grip, mainly. It can help with dirt, &c but not a cure-all for it. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741/31 "2017-09-26T23:59:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I tried counting them once, but ran out of fingers and toes. You were _so close_. The correct answer is “11.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-mail-carriers-wearing-rubber-gloves/796741.md?page=1)