CONTROL OF AIRBORNE LATEX BY USE OF POWDER-FREE LATEX GLOVES

Objective: Our objective was to assess airborne latex allergen exposur e in the workplace of a hospital laboratory technician with occupation al latex sensitization and repeated anaphylactic episodes from this. H er allergic manifestations had cleared only when coworkers changed to powder-free later gloves. Therefore a labolatory still using powdered later gloves was selected for comparative airborne latex sampling. Des ign: The design was a survey. Setting: We used a hospital hematology l aboratory, and a biochemistry laboratory was used for comparison. Part icipants: The index case with latex allergy is described. An average o f 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 glove s and in the laboratory using powdered latex gloves. Results: Levels w ere below the level of detection (<0.02 ng/m(3) of latex allergen) in the laboratory using powder-free latex gloves brit ranged from 39 to 3 11 ng/m(3) in the laboratory using powdered gloves. Conclusions: Airbo rne later 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 coworker s may enable such patients to continue work in their trained professio n and may prevent measurable airborne latex exposure. Affected patient s, however, still need to avoid direct latex contact.