Latex allergens in glove-powdering slurries

Exposure to airborne glove powder contaminated with latex allergens is known to provoke respiratory symptoms in latex-sensitized individuals. In the commonly used wet-powdering process in glove manufacturing, powder is applied by dipping gloves in a cornstarch suspension, a slurry. The slurry is a potential source of allergen contamination of the powder. The protein and latex allergen contents in five different slurries and in extracts from the corresponding latex gloves were measured using the BCA assay and the IgE antibody inhibition assay (EAI assay). Latex allergens were found in all slurries and gloves. No correlation between the values of protein contents and allergen contents was found. Wet powdering of gloves induces a risk of latex protein contamination of the cornstarch.