Johns Hopkins may have been a trendsetter, but the hospital doesn't stand alone. "We have a total system commitment to non-latex products, period," says Bloomington's Boyle.

Beth Israel shares its concerns with Bloomington Hospital. It offers a variety of non-latex products to its employees. "We have information available to our clinical staff, which can direct them to not only non-latex gloves, but to other non-latex alternative products," says Sheil.


Massachusetts General had latex gloves available for a long time, until it negotiated a favorable contract and made the switch to synthetics. As latex prices went up and synthetic costs came down, the hospital entirely converted to non-latex gloves. "It's better to be safe than sorry," says Raeke.

Manufacturers are also seeing the shift. "There has been increased migration away from latex, given its inherent disadvantage of latex allergies," says Ravi Venkat, vice president of marketing and sales for Medisafe Technologies. "We are at the point where some synthetics are actually cheaper than latex with the added benefit of no allergy issues and no liability issues for providers on that front."

Manufacturers Rally

Based in Indonesia, Medisafe Technologies, a division of the Indorama Group, manufactures exam, dental, high-risk (EMS) and surgical gloves. The increased popularity of synthetic gloves is a great advantage to the company, says Venkat. Medisafe Technologies is the exclusive developer of a U.S. patent-protected formula used to manufacture medical gloves made from Polychloroprene, a synthetic substitute for natural rubber. These gloves have a higher alcohol and chemical resistance, while providing the natural feel of rubber without latex allergy concerns.

Ansell Healthcare is a global manufacturer of surgical and examination gloves. Patty Taylor, vice president of marketing for North America, says the fastest growing market is the synthetic surgical glove market, which saw a 26 percent growth in units, while Ansell saw a 36 percent growth in the past year. On the other hand, the latex powdered surgical glove market continues to decline about 8 percent annually, according to Taylor.

Although medical professionals who are allergic to latex can opt for synthetic gloves, chemical allergies pose a whole other threat. People who are sensitive to the chemical accelerators used in the manufacturing process, such as thiurams, carbamates and thiazoles, are prone to allergic reactions. Taylor says that accelerator-free gloves are difficult to manufacture but is hopeful that advancements in technology in the near future will make it easier. "I think you'll find more and more manufacturers looking at their processes, so they can make gloves that are accelerator-free," says Taylor.

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