All but unheard of 10 years ago, allergies to latex rubber are becoming a significant public-health issue. The problem is most serious in health-care settings, where people are exposed at many times the usual levels. Extrapolating from surveys of four hospitals, Milwaukee immunologist B. Lauren Charous estimates that latex allergy affects 10 to 17 percent of all health-care workers and 30 to 60 percent of children who undergo numerous operations. Until recently, experts thought the condition was rare outside those risk groups. But when Dr. Dennis Ownby of Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital randomly screened 1,000 Red Cross blood samples, he found that 6.5 percent harbored antibodies to latex, suggesting that the donors were at least partially sensitized.
Why would a substance widely used for 50 years suddenly cause an epidemic of allergies? The first outbreaks coincide suspiciously with the growing use of gloves in the 1980s to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis in hospitals. (Because the latex they’re made of is highly purified, condoms are less likely to cause this sensitivity. But someone who’s already very allergic might have to steer clear.) Just as the demand for gloves was exploding, the quality of the U.S. rubber supply was degraded after a civil war in Liberia, a major source. Overall, no one has linked the rise in allergic reactions to any specific contaminant.
Since 1992, both the FDA and the American College of Allergy and Immunology have issued warnings about latex reactions. Many surgical-glove makers are now processing latex to eliminate more of its allergens. Hospitals are setting up latex-free surgical suites, while taking steps to minimize health workers’ exposure. But no one advocates trying to ban latex altogether. It’s far cheaper than any synthetic substitute, it saves many lives and, as allergy sufferers like Jill Bishop discover, it’s everywhere.
