A Regulatory Blind Spot Hiding in Plain Sight

Medical Practice Oct 19, 2026• By JUSTIN MCKAY When I’m brought back into the diagnostic area, one of the first things I see is a lead apron, well-worn and folded into itself, about ready to slide off the table where it was absentmindedly placed. For many people, this sight would not be startling, but I know firsthand the life-threatening dangers associated with garments that are not cleaned, stored, and maintained properly. It is time that patients and staff understand this danger, and regulators take action. My co-founder and I contracted ringworm in two different hospital networks from wearing unclean garments just like these, handled by hardworking, decent individuals in the imaging and surgery departments we routinely visited. Healthcare professionals should be more mindful of the cleanliness and the condition of these garments, but those efforts alone are not enough to prevent hospital acquired infections. What my experience and the experiences of so many others indicate is that what is not measured, is not managed. To protect patients and medical professionals alike, there needs to be a clear regulatory protocol for cleaning and maintaining high utilization equipment and gar...