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| Latex Allergies |
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| Latex Allergies |
| Illustration by Malcolm Garris/PhotoDisc |
By
Leigh
Morgan
As healthcare workers become increasingly vocal about the dangers of latex allergies, hospitals are re-examining what was once a blind commitment to latex gloves. Many are adopting policies to make use of synthetic, powder-free, and low-protein alternatives to traditional latex gloves. The trend is a step toward protecting healthcare workers whose allergies may spell an end to their careers—or even their lives. According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 10 to 17 percent of U.S. healthcare workers have some level of latex sensitivity. Already sensitized workers may find their conditions exacerbated by continual exposure. A little latex causes big problems Amy Romanczuk, MSN, RN, knows first-hand how a little bit of latex exposure—even indirect—can trigger a sudden allergic reaction. A pediatric clinical nurse specialist, Romanczuk hadn’t used latex in her practice with spina bifida patients for seven years when she went into anaphylactic shock one day in 1996. "I really thought I was safe because our clinic was latex-free," she said. "What I didn’t take into account was exposure from elsewhere in the hospital." Today, Romanczuk can work only five or six hours before she has trouble breathing. She has an extremely low tolerance for latex in any form. One morning she began wheezing as she walked through the parking lot; she realized she was inhaling latex from car tires. And once she suffered a reaction while eating a salad that had been prepared by a worker wearing latex gloves. Romanczuk’s employer, Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, has taken steps toward cleaning up its professional environment. Among other things, the hospital replaced its entire stock of latex exam gloves with synthetic versions and designed a new ambulatory care center to operate free of latex. "Since 1993 we’ve had standards of care for working with latex-sensitive patients, and now we’re revising everything to focus on the latex-sensitive employee," Romanczuk said. Cleanup efforts take many forms Hospitals are beginning to overcome a habitual reliance on latex to determine the glove type best suited to a given task, said Diane Flanagan, president of the Allergy to Latex Emergency Resource Team (ALERT). For example, a latex glove isn’t appropriate for nonmedical duties like house-keeping and food service, and a moderately priced synthetic glove could work safely in most exam situations. Likewise, a latex glove with low levels of natural rubber latex proteins—the substance people are allergic to—may be an acceptable alternative for operating on a nonallergic patient. In instances where a latex glove is preferable, hospitals should at least consider using a low-protein and powder-free version, Flanagan said. Powdered gloves are disastrous since powder particles transport clinging bits of latex throughout the hospital, coating walls, equipment, and ventilation ducts. Airborne latex particles are inhaled by patients and staff. In fact, the first step many hospitals take to control latex allergies is eradicating all powdered exam gloves, Flanagan said. In one of the most extensive latex cleanup projects to date, Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston not only banned virtually all latex and powdered gloves, but also conducted a systematic deep cleaning of every surface, including computer components and air ducts, to get rid of powder residue. As a result, the hospital has seen a 40- to 50-percent decline in new cases of sensitization among employees over the last three years, said Nanette Moss, manager of environmental affairs. Policies protect hospitals, too Besides safeguarding patients and staff, new latex glove policies may also help protect hospitals. Workers compensation laws vary by state, but hospitals can expect to pay from $150,000 to $1 million to cover a single employee who proves a disability claim, according to Howel Rosenberg, a partner in the Philadelphia firm Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown, and Sandler. Nonlatex gloves may not necessarily cost more. By consolidating glove purchases among fewer vendors and negotiating bulk prices, the Mayo Clinic saved more than $200,000 in 1994, despite buying only nonpowdered, low-allergen gloves. Generally, the cost of latex alternatives are comparable to the cost of traditional nonsurgical gloves. Anti-latex legislation introduced As latex allergies raise concern among health professionals and the public, some state officials are taking up the cause. Lawmakers in Oregon, New York, Wisconsin, and Minnesota have introduced bills this year to restrict the use of latex gloves, and a recent ruling by the Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers to label all products containing natural rubber latex. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recently issued an alert urging healthcare workers to become familiar with latex allergy symptoms. "I used to have to chase information," said Lise Borel, DMD, national director for the nonprofit group ELASTIC (Education for Latex Allergy/Support Team and Information Coalition.) "Now I’m receiving phone calls from two or three medical centers a week telling me they are going forward with becoming latex responsible." |
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STATS ABOUT LATEX ALLERGIES As many as 18 million Americans may be affected by latex sensitivity—that’s 64 in every 1,000, up from 1 in 1,000 in the early 1980s, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. ---------- ONE
NURSE'S STORY ---------- MORE ARTICLES ON LATEX ALLERGIES Latex
Allergies Latex
Hypersensitivity: What
are your risks? ---------- OTHER WEB SITES WITH INFORMATION ON LATEX ALLERGIES Allergy to Latex Emergency Resource Team Education for Latex Allergy / Support Team & Information Coalition The Latex Allergy Information Resource from the Department of Anesthesiology, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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