In Brief Hydration, the absorption of uid into the interstitial areas of a glove once it is wetted, adversely aaects the clinical performance of natural rubber latex gloves. These eeects potentially include increased conductivity, c hanges in tensile and tactile properties, and increased chemical and viral permeability. All of our data indicate that signiicant h ydration is an undesirable prope...

BACKGROUND Allergy to natural rubber latex is a well-recognized health problem, especially among health care workers and patients with spina bifida. Despite latex sensitization being acquired in health institutions in both health care workers and patients with spina bifida, differences in allergen sensitization profiles have been described between these two risk groups. OBJECTIVE To investiga...

Exposure to starch powder from both surgical and examination gloves can cause a number of undesirable reactions, which vary from well known allergy symptoms and upper respiratory-tract disorders to pleuritis, myocarditis, irritation of the central nervous system or even carcinoma or tuberculosis misdiagnosis. A well documented consequence of the use of starch powder in gloves is its capacity to...

There is lack of data on the prevalence of latex allergy in the health care setting in Iran. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of type I latex allergy and type IV allergy to latex and rubber additives among the operating room staff with glove-related symptoms in 13 general hospitals in Tehran. Skin-prick tests with commercial latex extract, patch tests with latex and 25 rubbe...

A natural rubber degrading candidate was isolated from a soil sample from Aswan, Egypt. The strain was able to grow on natural rubber as a sole source for carbon and energy. According to its degradation behavior, it grew adhesively and in direct contact with the rubber substrate and led to disintegration of the material during cultivation. Furthermore, this strain was not able to form a clear z...

OBJECTIVES To estimate the prevalence of sensitisation to natural rubber latex in latex tappers and latex glove factory workers, and to relate this to airborne exposure to latex. METHODS Five hundred workers employed in three latex glove factories, 314 tappers, and 144 college students (control group) were studied. The workers in the glove factories were classified into three exposure groups;...

IgE-mediated allergy to natural rubber latex was first noted from rubber gloves in 1979. The initial reports in dermatological journals described contact urticarial reactions; later, severe generalized allergic reactions and asthma were documented. A considerable proportion of the people involved in medical and dental care were found to be sensitized to latex. This article describes and surveys...

Cytotoxicity of 14 glove materials representing 4 natural rubber latex, 6 synthetic rubber and 4 synthetic polymeric materials was evaluated using dimethylthiazol diphenyltetrazolium (MTT), agar overlay and filter diffusion tests. Cell responses after contact with extracts of glove materials and contact with glove materials were assessed. One synthetic rubber glove (nitrile rubber) and 2 synthe...

It has been known for some time that the latex contained in some medical equipment, such as gloves, can result in an allergic reaction. A new report from the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) looks into the response from NHS organisations to the threat from latex allergies and whether adequate measures have been taken to protect health care staff and patients.