In the past, special guidelines and protective measures have been introduced to protect hospital workers during the handling of antineoplastic agents; nevertheless, it was found that they did not prevent the uptake of these toxic compounds. In response, additional protective measures were introduced, including adaptations of the laminar downflow hood, use of special masks, use of double pairs o...

The handling of vinyl polysiloxane (addition silicone) impression putties with latex gloves is said to interfere with the setting of these impression materials. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of handling techniques on the setting of vinyl polysiloxane impression putties using several types of gloves. The setting of these materials was evaluated by means of an elasticimeter. Fou...

OBJECTIVE The quality of life (QOL) and work ability of health care workers allergic to natural rubber latex (NRL) were assessed after implementation of regulations on powder-free NRL gloves in Germany. METHODS 196 HCW with reported NRL allergy answered a questionnaire (response rate 58%) containing the Work Ability Index (WAI), Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ), and Dermat...

Microbiology laboratories use containment equipment such as safety cabinets and isolators or respiratory protective equipment to protect workers against aerosol infection hazards. There is a perception amongst microbiologists that using sharps within containment equipment would increase the operator’s chance of accidental injury due to losses of dexterity within containment and so respiratory p...

In this study, the cytotoxicity of medical latex gloves to cultured L-929 cells was determined using various extraction conditions. According to the extraction time and temperature, three types of extraction conditions were used: 1) 24 h at 37 degrees C; 2) 72 h at 37 degrees C; 3) 72 h at 50 degrees C. Also, four different extraction vehicles were used, namely, distilled water (DW), 9 g/l sodi...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the extent of human isocyanate skin exposure in auto body shops and the effectiveness of personal protective equipment. Animal studies have suggested that skin exposure to isocyanates may be an important risk factor for respiratory sensitization leading to asthma. This study provides initial data on hexamethylene diisocyanate skin exposure in three auto body sho...

Anaphylaxis is an acute and fatal systemic allergic reaction to an allergen, and it can be an unpredictable and life-threatening cause during anesthesia. Latex is the second most common cause of anaphylaxis following the use of neuromuscular blocking agents during general anesthesia or surgery. We report on a 67-year-old male who had undergone surgery under general anesthesia without any proble...

Air sampling studies are described which show high levels of airborne starch powder contamination in areas where powdered latex gloves are used. Furthermore, culture of collected samples show a clear association between starch particles and bacterial colonies in an experimental system suggesting that airborne particles could act as a vector for pathogens in the hospital environment.

Whole glove testing for a metalworking fluid (MWF) in the field was performed for the first time. Green latex gloves used in a machine shop were exposed for 20 min to MWF. The permeated amount (1.0 +/- 0.5 microg/cm(2)) was higher than the threshold (0.25 microg/cm(2)) for the ASTM F739-99a closed-loop normalized breakthrough time.

PURPOSE Children with spina bifida, bladder exstrophy and anorectal anomalies are at risk for latex allergy. Severe intraoperative anaphylaxis in a boy treated with kidney transplantation prompted this study to evaluate the prevalence of latex allergy in a cohort of children with chronic renal failure (CRF). MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 1996 and 2002, 57 boys and 28 girls were investigated a...