Can Latex Really Harm You
...he reactions to latex; swollen red skin, tears, itching or burning eyes, swollen lips and tongue with difficulty breathing, wheezing, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, abdominal pain, nausea, and/or diarrhea. In some cases people have gone into shock which causes their blood pressure to drop immensely and their throat swells constricting the airways in their lungs. If you have an allergic reaction and go into shock you will die if you do not receive immediate medical care. The paramedics or medical personnel will give you a shot of epinephrine, which they also use to stop allergic reactions to bee stings, and that will almost immediately stop the reaction. But what exactly causes the allergic reaction? Latex is a white sappy fluid that comes from rubber trees. Latex contains hundreds of proteins, and these proteins are responsible for the reactions. While making the latex, it is filtered through, and has chemicals added to it to increase its elasticity, strength, durability, and to decrease its aging process. These chemicals can increase your reactions to the proteins so now knowing what the latex is and how it can harm you. You can get these proteins on your skin from being in contact with latex, or you can simple be around latex and breathe in some proteins and that will cause the same allergic reaction. You most likely would like to know how you could find out if you have a latex allergy. Anybody who develops reactions or certain symptoms after using latex should be suspected of having latex allergy. If you experience any of these symptoms you should be evaluated by a physician as soon as possible because the more times you are exposed it could lead to more serious reactions. The first thing your doctor will do is take a complete medical history. There are also blood tests available to detect latex antibodies. The FDA says, "Other diagnostic tools include a standardized glove-use test or skin tests that involve scratching or pricking the skin through a drop of liquid containing latex proteins." If you have itching, swelling or redness at the test site, you tested positive. Although the FDA has not approved any skin test materials, you can have an experienced medical staff, who is trained to handle severe reaction, test you. Sometimes these tests may diagnose you wrong. They may fail to confirm your allergy or even test positive when you aren’t allergic. The CDC states this about latex reactions; "Reactions usually begin within minutes of exposure to latex, but they can occur hours later and can produce various symptoms." If you have been diagnosed with latex allergy, or think you might be allergic you need to take certain steps to avoid coming into contact with latex. If you work in the medical field you should wear non-latex gloves. If you are in contact with infectious material and need to wear latex gloves wear the powder free kind because they don’t have as many proteins. If you are allergic you need to tell...