Rubber bands, balloons, car tires, elastic bands in underwear are just a few of the thousands of everyday products that contain latex, the milky sap from rubber trees that is the main component of rubber. Indeed, latex is found in some 40,000 products, ranging from rubber gloves and condoms to erasers and undergarments. Most people can handle latex without any problems. In recent years, allergies to latex have become an increasingly common problem, especially among health-care workers and patients undergoing many medical or surgical procedures. Latex is found in many medical devices and products, including blood-pressure cuffs, catheters, anesthesia and hemodialysis equipment and latex gloves.
Frequent exposure raises the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction to the material.
Increased sensitivity to latex is partly due to the fact that so many more people use latex gloves since the onset of AIDS, but no one knows the whole story yet. Proteins cause latex allergies. There are roughly 60 to 80 proteins in the natural latex obtained from the tropical rubber tree Hevea , the source of most of the natural latex used in commercial products. Research is underway to identify the proteins most likely to cause allergic reactions. The most common symptoms of latex allergy are a hive-like rash, swollen or watery eyes, and itchy skin immediately after coming into contact with a product containing latex.