Rubber - Allergic Reactions

Allergic Reactions

Some people have a serious latex allergy, and exposure to certain natural latex rubber products such as latex gloves can cause anaphylactic shock. Depending on how the latex is processed, the antigenic proteins found in Hevea latex may be significantly reduced, as in Vytex Natural Rubber Latex or Talalay foam rubber.

Guayule latex is hypoallergenic and is being researched as a substitute to the allergy-inducing Hevea latexes. Unlike the tappable Hevea tree, these relatively small shrubs must be harvested whole and latex extracted from each cell.

Some allergic reactions are not from the latex but from residues of other ingredients used to process the latex into clothing, gloves, foam, etc. These allergies are usually referred to as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).