Latex Gloves

["Alan R. Marchand" <radarm@accessnv.com>]

The following article was in The Washington Post. Since this article is long I
just listed the begining of the article. Go to
"<http://www.washingtonpost.com/>www.washingtonpost.com/" for the full
article.

Allergies Lead to Wave of Lawsuits Against Latex Glove Makers
By Avram Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 9, 1998; Page A12 

Buoyed by a $1 million jury award to a Milwaukee hospital technician who
developed a severe allergy to natural rubber latex gloves, hundreds of U.S.
health care workers are suing glove manufacturers, alleging they knew
prolonged exposure could cause reactions from mild skin irritations to
deadly ailments.

In the last year, a steady stream of new claims against latex glove
manufacturers has been filed in federal court in Philadelphia, where about
150 cases from across the country have been consolidated for pretrial
purposes. About 50 more plaintiffs are suing in other courts, raising the
specter of millions of dollars' worth of judgments against manufacturers.

The Food and Drug Administration is considering a ban on certain latex
gloves that are more apt to cause allergies in users. The agency also will
require manufacturers to place allergy warnings on packages of gloves and
prohibit them from describing gloves as "hypoallergenic."

Industry leaders acknowledge that some natural rubber latex gloves can
cause health problems, but they say that until researchers determine how
much latex exposure is a health problem, they have no plans to change
their processes or products.

"If the FDA says these gloves cause more harm than good, we would be in
agreement with them," said Donna Gaidamak, spokeswoman for
Allegiance Healthcare Corp., the largest distributor of latex and synthetic
gloves.

Scientists and government officials estimate that about 950,000 U.S. health
care workers who wear gloves because they come into contact with
patients or blood have developed an allergic sensitivity to latex. Some have
experienced skin rashes, respiratory ailments or potentially fatal shock.