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Allergologically relevant rubber accelerators in single-use medical gloves
B B Knudsen1, C Hametner, O Seycek
1Department of Dermatology, Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Contact Dermatitis
|July 21, 2000
Summary
Patients allergic to rubber accelerators need to identify gloves containing these chemicals. This study developed a method to detect and quantify rubber accelerators in gloves, finding discrepancies between manufacturer claims and actual content in most tested brands.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Dermatology
Background:
- Patients with rubber accelerator sensitivity require accurate information on glove composition.
- Quantitative data on bioavailable accelerators is crucial for selecting safer medical gloves.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an analytical method for qualitative and quantitative determination of rubber accelerator residuals in single-use medical gloves.
- To compare analytical findings with manufacturers' ingredient claims.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 19 different glove brands for rubber accelerator content.
- Testing of phosphate buffer and acetone as extraction media.
- Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of extracted residuals.
Main Results:
- Zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (ZDEC), zinc dibutyldithiocarbamate (ZDBC), zinc mercaptobenzothiazole (ZMBT), and zinc 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (ZPC) were frequently detected.
- Discrepancies between declared and detected accelerator levels were found in 9 out of 15 analyzed gloves.
- Acetone proved to be a suitable extraction medium, while phosphate buffer was not effective.
Conclusions:
- The developed analytical method can detect and quantify rubber accelerators in medical gloves.
- Acetone is a viable extraction solvent for this analysis.
- Further research on extraction kinetics and skin penetration is necessary to validate clinical relevance.