Rubber: New allergens and preventive measures

Abstract

Natural rubber latex (NRL) and rubber accelerators are well-known causes of occupational skin diseases. The latest epidemiological data on rubber allergy show that rubber additives are still among the allergens most strongly associated with occupational contact dermatitis, however, a decrease in NRL allergy has been confirmed. A review of recent publications on rubber allergens based on the Pubmed database is presented. New glove manufacturing processes have been developed, such as lowprotein natural rubber gloves, vulcanisation accelerator-free gloves, or specific-purpose gloves containing antimicrobial agents or moisturisers. Several websites provide information on allergens found in gloves and/or glove choice according to occupation.