Minister launches latex web page to raise real dangers of occupational asthma

Minister launches latex web page to raise real dangers of occupational asthma

Keywords: Health and safety, Rubber, Internet

Des Browne MP, Minister for Work and Pensions launched the latest health and safety executive (HSE) Web site pages to raise awareness of reactions to natural rubber latex in a bid to combat this serious cause of occupational asthma.

The launch of the new Web site pages www.hse.gov.uk/latexwas part of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work and was launched at an Asthma Workshop organised by the Professional Organisations in Occupational Safety and Health (POOSH) in Regents College, London.

The idea of a specific web page on latex, was prompted by a group of asthma sufferers and will help health care professionals avoid getting occupational asthma from their use of natural rubber latex products.

Head of HSE's Occupational Health Policy, Sandra Caldwell said: “Too many health care staff have not been aware of the potentially life threatening side effects of using some types of natural rubber latex gloves – gloves which are intended to protect them. In the most serious cases, it can result in a potentially fatal anaphylactic shock. At the European Week launch, Aleks Kinay raised the very real effect that asthma has had on her life.

“This is a serious problem. We estimate that 7,000 cases of asthma are caused or made worse by work each year. Allergy to the proteins in natural rubber latex is the fifth largest occupational cause of asthma. Raising this issue is important because for many people once sensitised, their lives are misery and they have to give up work.”

Sandra Caldwell chaired the Asthma workshop where the keynote speaker was Hans Horst Konkolewsky, Director of the European Safety and Health Agency, in Bilbao, Spain.