Finally, the gloves move through a cornstarch slurry and are stripped from the formers. Powder-free gloves usually go through a chlorination wash, which makes their surface more slippery and removes any unreacted rubber proteins and additives. The most common reaction to rubber products is dry, irritated areas on the skin, especially the hands. This reaction is not immunological, but is due to the irritant effects of repeated hand washing, use of detergents and sanitizers, or powders added to the gloves. Thiuram compounds are the most common cause of contact dermatitis from rubber, usually via rubber gloves.
Symptoms are IgE-mediated and are caused by natural rubber proteins.
Symptoms appear within 10 to 15 minutes after donning gloves and include redness, itching, and wheal and flare reactions. Symptoms are often mistakenly attributed to glove powder or hand washing. In health care workers, contact urticaria may be preceded by cell-mediated contact dermatitis. With the increasing use of latex gloves to prevent HIV transmission, contact urticaria is occurring with increased frequency. Most latex-sensitive individuals are highly atopic, with personal histories of seasonal allergic rhinitis due to pollens or allergic asthma due to house dust mites or animal dander.