Natural rubber latex proteins and allergens in various rubber products and the airborne concentrations of latex allergen in hospital rooms and physicians' offices

Latex protein allergen carried by glove powder becomes airborne when the gloves are donned and removed. Our recent studies on the quantification of latex aeroallergen levels demonstrated that the concentrations of airborne latex allergen (up to 714 ng/m(3)) could be detected in various hospital rooms and physicians' offices where powdered latex gloves were used. Moreover, the respiratory symptoms and the presence of latex-specific IgE antibodies were found only in subjects who had been working in the areas with measurable levels of latex aeroallergen. The use of powdered latex gloves with a high protein and allergen content is the major cause of the contamination of the air in the working environments. By replacement of powdered latex gloves with powder-free or synthetic gloves in the hospital departments, the latex aeroallergen levels fell below the detection limit within 24 hours, indicating that the use of powder-free latex gloves with low protein and allergen content is an effective measure to reduce the airborne exposure to latex allergens.