Three doctors have since found that Kowalski could no longer perform her duties because those duties require her to wear latex gloves, Strange said. Joseph G. Gibart, an attorney representing Wausau Insurance Cos., which covers Greendale employees, said the firm is not contesting the doctors' findings. Those findings must be confirmed by the state Department of Employee Trust Funds, according to Howard Myers, Kowalski's attorney. He said that neither he nor his client would have any comment on this case until after the state had ruled on it. Gibart, the insurance company attorney, said that while it was unusual for a case of debilitating latex sensitivity to emerge from a fire department, Kowalski's medical role puts her in the line of work in which such allergies are most often seen.
Most cases are relatively mild skin or respiratory reactions, but severe responses can be fatal.
Strange said the Fire Department has already ordered non-latex gloves for its employees but added that it would be hard to accommodate Kowalski by banning all latex products because the material is found in so much equipment. He mentioned oxygen tubes, breathing masks and blood pressure cuffs. It's a real can of worms. In 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would order labeling of products containing latex, but it has not yet done so. In 1995, Kowalski, then a firefighter, filed a sex discrimination complaint against the department, saying she had been unfairly passed over for promotion in favor of less qualified males.