Two guest authors - Patricia Fleming RN, and P. Brock Williams, PhD, approach the subject of glove powder from two perspectives - that of a glove manufacturer and that of a clinical researcher. Interestingly, they point out the transition from talc to cornstarch (mid-1970's for surgical and mid-80's for examination gloves) coincided with the dramatic increase in glove usage and production due to the emergence of the AIDS virus. This was followed a few years later by an increasing incidence of natural rubber latex allergy.
The role of cornstarch powder in natural rubber latex allergy is not completely understood, but has been repeatedly implicated as a possible cause of this allergy. Of increasing concern and greater importance
in shifting from cornstarch powdered gloves to nonpowdered, chlorinated and synthetic gloves, is the lack of any knowledge or experience with the most important benefit of glove usage - barrier protection.
Chlorination is utilized as a step in the manufacturing process to alter the latex surface making it "slippery" to facilitate donning. The effect of chlorination on latex proteins is not understood, nor is the potential alteration of barrier integrity. The chemicals used in the manufacture of latex gloves, carbamates, MBT's and thiurams, are also utilized in the manufacture of synthetic polymers. However, the interaction of these chemicals with synthetic polymers and the human skin is unknown.
Ms. Fleming feels that elimination of glove powder will assist in resolving the aeroallergen contamination problem. Dr. Williams does not and suggests we have yet to understand the complexity of this problem.
