Natural Rubber Latex: Glove Use, Sensitization, and Airborne and Latent Dust Concentrations at a Denver Hospital

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bledsoe TA ; Esswein, Eric J. ; Lewis, Daniel M. ; Page, Elena H. ; Petersen, Martin R.
• Description:
  Exposure to natural rubber latex may cause immediate hypersensitivity reactions. Published latex sensitization prevalence rates range from 2.9% to 22% among health care workers, and from 0.12% to about 20% of occupationally unexposed populations. In this study, self-administered questionnaires addressed job and personal characteristics, glove use, and symptoms in two groups of hospital workers: those who regularly used latex gloves and those who did not. Serum was tested for latex-specific immunoglobulin E. Air, surface, and air-filter dust samples for natural rubber latex were collected. The prevalence of latex sensitization was 6.3% in the non-users and 6.1% in the latex glove users (P = 0.9); 81.3% of sensitized workers were atopic compared with 59.5% of non-sensitized workers (P < 0.05). Reporting of work-related hand dermatitis was more common in the latex glove users (23.4%) than in the non-users (4.9%), as were rhino-conjunctivitis (16.3% and 7.9%, respectively, [P < 0.01]), and hand urticaria (9.9% and 2.1%, respectively, [P < 0.01]). There was no significant difference in work-related symptoms between the sensitized and non-sensitized workers. Environmental concentrations of latex were higher in the work areas of the non-sensitized workers, but higher in the clinical than in the non-clinical areas. Occupational latex glove use was not a risk factor for sensitization. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Environmental Exposure Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Hypersensitivity Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Safety Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Dusts Airborne Particles Dust Particles Dusts Exposure Assessment Exposure Levels Gloves Health Care Facilities Health Care Personnel Medical Facilities Questionnaires Sensitization

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  42
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20020768
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2000 Jun; 42(6):613-620
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Elena H. Page, NIOSH, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS R-10, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
• Email:
  edp7@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5ebb2ef73a7d5a4eebe3ecb597abc1c0322f1865aa26c93324d81fe040dbbcb3fcb1a55c1414891a5d56219455043f0e48907621d12865cdccf552f5fad87ecc
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/198436/cdc_198436_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 529.53 KB ]