Allergies
Latex allergies – different types, main drivers and prevention
Skin irritation and latex allergies are key considerations in healthcare environments. Estimates suggest that type I latex allergies affect less than one percent of the general population.
HARPS Global incorporates these considerations into the development of natural rubber latex gloves, with attention to factors such as glove powder, latex proteins, and residual chemicals.
Certain accelerators, including thiuram—commonly associated with about 80% of type IV allergies—are refrained from use in select formulations.
Discover more information about latex allergies and related topics below.
How we contribute to minimizing the risk of allergic reactions to latex
In recent years, both the latex protein content and the chemical residues have been reduced significantly through new methods in glove production. Moreover, new vulcanisation accelerators have been developed that are significantly more tolerable and do not have any residues that are easily released.
What is a latex allergy?
Latex proteins in natural rubber latex or accelerators used in certain production processes can trigger different types of allergies. In general, over-sensitive reactions can be split into four types. However, only types I and IV are relevant for allergies related to the usage of gloves.
Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Type-IV
This type of reaction is a Type-IV delayed immunological reaction and is not life threatening. However, it provokes itchiness and discomfort through blisters and redness, and later, as part of the healing process, progresses to dryness and scaling. This can be qualified as a sensitisation to residual chemicals (e.g. accelerators) used in the production of conventional rubber products.
Immediate Allergic Reaction: Type-I
This type is more serious as it causes immediate allergic reactions after contact with latex-products. Such a reaction is triggered by the protein content of natural rubber latex and shows a wide range of clinical symptoms, including angioedema, swelling, cough, asthma, and anaphylactic reactions.
How does a latex allergy occur?
Natural rubber latex is composed of spherical polyisoprene droplets coated with a layer of water-soluble proteins. Natural rubber is a processed plant product of the rubber tree and contains variable amounts of water-soluble proteins that can upset the human immune system and trigger a latex allergy.
Latex allergies are also strongly associated with food allergies. Find out more about the linkage between latex allergies and food allergies in the leaflet ‘sempermed Informs: Latex allergy in children’ below.
How can latex allergies be prevented?
Preventing latex allergies in the health care system can be quite easy. Most medical devices already are latex-free due to the prevalence of latex allergies. Yet, healthcare professionals wearing surgical gloves have always had the choice between latex or latex-free gloves, irrespective of the potential impact on their patient.
How HARPS Global supports reducing latex allergy risks
Reducing undesirable substances to a minimum
Chemicals and proteins often lead to skin sensitisation of the glove wearer. We do not use any thiurams in the manufacturing of sempermed gloves as they have been found to be the cause of type IV allergies in 80% of cases. We have also reduced the latex protein content of our latex gloves to a minimum through the introduction of additional stages within the production. This aims to protect your skin.
We provide alternatives made without accelerators, latex, or powder, including our Green Glove or other skin-friendly alternatives.
Learn more about skin-friendly glove alternatives
Get in contact with our experts and find the right glove for your needs.