Control of airborne latex by use of powder-free latex gloves

Abstract

Objective: Our objective was to assess airborne latex allergen exposure in the workplace of a hospital laboratory technician with occupational latex sensitization and repeated anaphylactic episodes from this. Her allergic manifestations had cleared only when coworkers changed to powder-free latex gloves. Therefore a laboratory still using powdered latex gloves was selected for comparative airborne latex sampling.

Design: The design was a survey.

Setting: We used a hospital hematology laboratory, and a biochemistry laboratory was used for comparison.

Participants: The index case with latex allergy is described. An average of 10 employees worked on the day shift in the same laboratory, and 10 employees worked in the biochemistry laboratory studied.

Main outcome measure: Airborne latex allergen levels obtained by high airflow area sampling were compared in the laboratory using powder-free latex gloves and in the laboratory using powdered latex gloves.

Results: Levels were below the level of detection (< 0.02 ng/m3 of latex allergen) in the laboratory using powder-free latex gloves but ranged from 39 to 311 ng/m3 in the laboratory using powdered gloves.

Conclusions: Airborne latex allergen is produced with use of powdered latex gloves. Such usage by coworkers may provoke respiratory and anaphylactic response to latex in sensitized subjects. Use of powder-free gloves by coworkers may enable such patients to continue work in their trained profession and may prevent measurable airborne latex exposure. Affected patients, however, still need to avoid direct latex contact.