Men’s Health Week 2021: The impact of Type IV allergies caused by latex

#MensHealthWeek
This week, the UK marks Men’s Health Week 2021 to raise awareness of the health and well-being of the male population.

We all know that an ache or infection is a sign of ill-health, but do we know what is causing the illness? Let us put the spotlight on Type IV allergies caused by some latex items.

A Type IV allergy can be triggered by residual chemical additives (thiazoles, thiurams and carbamates) found in latex. Type IV allergy symptoms include skin irritation and delayed hypersensitivity. It is limited to skin reactions and is not life threatening.

Why do latex-based products trigger Type IV allergy?
Rubber accelerators are essentially required to manufacture rubber items and body contact latex, such as condoms. Rubber accelerators give the product its physical properties, such as flexibility, strength and moulded-shape through a process of cross-linking known as vulcanisation. Latex is unusable in its natural state and requires chemicals such as accelerators to give it certain physical properties. After vulcanisation some unused accelerators can remain in latex as residuals, which can then migrate to the surface and when in contact with the skin cause Type IV allergy or skin contact dermatitis.

How can you protect yourself against suffering from a Type IV allergy?
Manufacturers are now using rubber accelerators that can be totally consumed during the vulcanisation reaction. No residual chemical additive, no risk of a hypersensitive reaction. One such example is Robac AS100, which is a rubber accelerator developed by Robac Technology (part of Robinson Brothers). Robac AS100 is totally consumed during the vulcanisation reaction, so there is no allergy risk as there is no exposure from the residual accelerator. For this reason, Robac AS100 is considered to be a much safer alternative to those used previously.

Robac AS100 has proved particularly successful in natural rubber gloves, sports shoe soles, personal protective equipment, condoms, catheters, medical sheeting and tubing.

Want to know more? Click here to read our technical papers online.

About Us
Robac Technology is the rubber accelerators and polymer chemical division of Robinson Brothers. This business sector focuses specifically on chemicals used in dry and wet rubber applications. Our product portfolio includes nitrosamine-safe accelerators that can be used in a variety of articles, such as toys, automotive components, medical devices and shoe soles. Click here to learn more.

"We are a member of the British Rubber & Polyurethane Products Association and 
British Footwear Association"

Robinson Brothers Limited | West Midlands | B70 0AH UK
E: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)121 553 2451
External link: Ranvir Virdi, Boyd Grover, and Kiruan Ghuman (2019) “NITROSAMINE SAFE” THIURAM DISULFIDE. Rubber Chemistry and Technology: January-March 2019, Vol. 92, No. 1, pp. 90-109.
Reference: King, C, T. (2007) Inflammation, Inflammatory Mediators, and Immune-Mediated Disease. Elsevier’s Integrated Pathology. Pg 21-57 [Accessed on 10 June 2019: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/type-iv-hypersensitivity Inflammation, Inflammatory Mediators, and Immune-Mediated Disease]