ABSTRACT
Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) is a ubiquitous material found in thousands of consumer and medical products. Nearly all of the world’s latex is derived commercially from the milky cytoplasmic fl uid of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis.1 This fl uid is composed of small hydrocarbon particles of cis-1,4-polyisprene in a phospholipoprotein envelope dispersed in an aqueous serum containing sugars, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, minerals and proteins.2 The protein content can vary from 1 to 2 percent with 60 percent associated with the rubber particle and 40 percent the serum. Approximately 90 percent of the harvested rubber is used to manufacture solid dry rubber products such as automobile tires, conveyor belts, rubber hoses and balls. IgE-mediated hypersensitivity is rarely seen with this type of rubber, but delayed contact hypersensitivity reactions have been reported.3 The remaining 10 percent of the harvested rubber is used to manufacture dipped products, which include rubber gloves, condoms and balloons. Dipped rubber products are responsible for the majority of allergic reactions to natural rubber latex.4
