Here is a partial list of products that contain latex.
If you know of anything that is missing from this list, please leave a comment with your suggestions.
- Adhesive tape
- Baby-bottle nipples
- Balloons
- Bandages
- Condoms
- Diapers
- Elastic bands
- Pacifiers
- Pet toys
- Rubber gloves (especially medical)
- Sanitary pads
- Tire dust (especially residents living near a busy road)
- Under garments
Note that according to my research, synthetic latex, such as is found in latex-based house paints, is not known to cause allergic reactions(1). This is disputed by at least one person who has left a comment below.
Foot Notes
1: College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
latex mattresses
Can you please tell me if the latex in mattresses is likely to cause an allergic reaction?
I can’t give you a
I can’t give you a definitive answer on this one, but I can suggest that if you have a mild allergy, you will probably be OK if you don’t have direct contact with the mattress. On the other hand, the mattress is likely to release latex dust over time, which could be a problem.
If you already have a latex mattress, I suggest you get allergy proof bedding to contain any latex dust. This also helps with dust and mite control – a common allergen.
Do you have a laxes mattress now?
mattresses cover
The latex in my mattress caused me to break out in hives.I would go to bed with no hives and wake up every morning with hives and I also have facial swelling with a more severe reaction.I purchased an allergen barrier cover that zips around the mattress and now I have been fine.The cover was only $30,much cheaper than having to buy a new mattress.
latex allergy
What is a latex free alternative for wetsuits. I have found inconsistant information about neoprene. I’ve read it is safe, then the next article I see writes it isn’t!!! Is synthetic latex or synthetic rubber safe or not?
products containing latex
Do things like plastic cups and plastic plates( for eating out of) contain any latex?
What about vinyl…does it contain latex?
Does any of Dr. Scholls products for the feet contain Latex?
I have purchased several of Dr. Scholls products and they do not say if the product contains Latex. What about the Gellin inserts and the 16 hour foot insoles? The foot insoles have a cloth on the top, but what kind of product in on the bottom? Is it latex or rubber. I have an allergy to Latex especially when the Latex is wet and touches my body. I have to wear a Medic Alert braclet to inform people that I have an allergy. Some one may try to help me and may kill me or put me in distress.
Food prepared by latex gloves
Hi, so I have a latex allergy. Recently found out that I cannot eat food prepared with latex gloves. When that happens, the results are about 48 hours later or so, I get sores in my mouth which have been misdiagnosed as canker sores and if not taken care of I get run down, my face will start swelling and the sore will get worse as well as my lips slowly blowing up.
I started asking places I ate at if they used them and they said no but I got another reaction. This time it was all the same except it was happening faster and this time I had the worst sore throat and it felt like a sinus infection.
So my question is, if this keeps happening even though I’ve been asking, are the symptoms going to be life threatening?
Thanks
Latex gloves and food
Your problem with a latex allergy and food preparation sounds like a real drag.
I can’t honestly tell you if the symptoms could be life-threatening. It is not possible to give such advice over the internet for one thing, and I am not a doctor for another.
What I can tell you is that life-threatening or not, you need to avoid such situations, because it is certainly having a big negative impact on your life.
Ask to see the gloves yourself before eating anywhere. Then you can make your own decision.
You might just have to stop eating out for a while. Sometimes people see a reduced sensitivity when they eliminate all contact with a specific allergen.
Food prepared by latex gloves
Yes unfortunately it will get worse over time. I have the same problem. If I eat anything now that comes in contact with Latex I will know it right away. My tongue gets tingly and my throat gets scratchy. I ask the hostess if they have latex gloves and most of the time when they say yes we leave. There is one place that we go to that we have to call a day in advance to tell them we are coming and they will prepare our food without latex gloves. I think that people like us need to do something to make it a law that latex gloves not be used in food services. I hope this helps.
Every exposure to natural
Every exposure to natural rubber latex can cause you allergy to worsen. Avoidance is the only way to keep this under control. I’ve had the allergy for 11 years now and after being homebound for a very long time, I am not working and avoiding and getting along much better. I don’t even take meds daily to prevent the allergy from flairing up.
And yes, they can become life-threatening. My worse reaction was after eating food where the restaurant used latex gloves in the salad preparation – I anaphylaxed and ended up in ICU. If I wouldn’t have had an Epi-pen, I’m sure I wouldn’t be here now.
Latex in Garbage Bags
Hello, my girlfriend and I were bagging a few things in “Enviro-Bag” 30 gallon trash bags, and after dealing with over 10 of them she began to develop a shortness of breath and a tightness in her chest. She has a rather severe latex allergy….. Is there latex in garbage bags or was that perhaps from all the hard work earlier that day?
I doubt it
I’m almost positive there is no latex in garbage bags.
More likely it was exposure to dust. This is a typical problem when going though piles of stuff that have been laying around for a bit. It can even be a problem with closed boxes if the contents were previously exposed to dust.
Latex in baby diapers
My grandson is 2. Since he was about 3mos. old he has had a red bumpy rash all over his body plus large scaly itchy sores on the backs of his legs, arms and stomach. Nothing the baby allergist has done has even touched it. We are told they can’t do allergy testing until he is 3 years old. Could there possibly be latex in the outer layer of baby diapers?
Try cloth diapers
Try cloth diapers, without elastic (if such a thing exists, I don’t know much about diapers).
That will rule out latex, if any, and any other possible allergens in the diapers currently in use.
Presumably the babies allergist has looked into milk as the possible culprit?
My DD is 4 months and we recently bought her an inflatable bath whilst on holiday as we didn’t have a tub in the apartment. It was so useful that I continued using it when we got home. Around the same time she started to develop a red bumpy rash all over her body, her skin then became really dry and scaley, then sore and incredibly itchy. I did not put this down to the bath at all and was told she had suddenly developed ezcema. I have been piling on ezcema creams and been cutting diary out of my diet for 3 weeks now and saw no improvement until I removed the inflatable bath. 48hrs later and the spots are reducing in redness and the itching is subsiding. Last night she had the first descent nights sleep in 3 weeks, I am hoping her skin will make a full recovery too! Can I assume it is latex in the bath that has caused this reaction or could it be some other ingrediant, would like to know so we can avoid it in future as it really is miserable to deal with.
Thanks for sharing your story, Sarah.
From your description, the inflatable bath sounds like a combination of hot water in a flexible plastic. Also soap, and possibly some sort of printing or design on the surface of the plastic.
Keep that combination and it’s parts in mind. For example, inflatable beach balls may be of a similar type of plastic, which may cause a problem. On the other hand without hot water and soap (or one of these) it may not cause a problem.
Keep an eye out for symptoms and if your four month old develops a rash again, see if you can related it to anything in common with the inflatable bath.
Best of luck
Thanks for your advice!
latex allergy
is there latex in craft foam?
CLOTHING
Hi i have had a severe latex allergy since i was born and viscose is a form of latex in clothing and also spandex and elastaine. Hope it helps
latex products
I don’t have a question, just a comment. You mention that latex-based paints are not known to cause an allergic reaction. About 10 yrs ago, my place of work decided to paint the day care room. I walked into the room, hoping to help paint, in about 15 mintues I was having a hard time breathing, my face was itchy. I left the room and a little while later I was fine. I have also tried on shirts with spandex and found myself to be rather itchy. It really sucks. I keep allergy pills with me always, just in case, because you never know.
Latex and paint
Thanks for sharing your experience with paint.
It could be that you are allergic to the synthetic latex in paint, or it could have been something else in the paint. In any case, I have qualified the statement in the original article.
It could be that the source of that information meant dried paint, not liquid paint.
latex gloves
In the comment to the food and latex…with so many americans having an allergy to latex, why don’t food preparers, dentists, doctors, and especially hospitals use hypoallergenic gloves? I do not understand? Yes, my doctors use them on me as they all know that I am allergic, but they do not allow balloons in hosptials because of latex allergies to them, then why are latex gloves still being used? Granted, you cannot get rid of all of the latex in the world, but this is a help to those of us that are allergic. Latex hits me airborne, as it probably does to many Americans, I just don’t understand why the gloves are allowed to be used.
Latex hits me airborne also. Latex gloves should not be allowed at all. Too many people have latex allergies, and it doesn’t seem to bother them at the restaurants. I am also allergic to latex to the extreme, I cannot get any worse. Call ahead to restuarants, hotels, & friends of mine for just a evening out together. Keep all our shoes in boxes, both mine and my husbands. When I travel, I must take a blanket to sit on so the latex cushion won’t make me itch. I pack my own pillow, sheets, blankets for traveling. I cannot even go to a restaurant and eat if the place used latex gloves with powder. I do leave quickly. I also have cross sensivity to fruits and vegetables, they can give me a latex allergie-like potatoes, bananas, kiwi, peaches, plums, pineapple, blueberries & tomatoes. Just from touching the dry rubber throughout a day, I get internal burning, itching, all over like you would not believe. Alot of furniture at peoples houses we know, all of their furniture make me itch.
My clothes has to be all cotton or nylon clothes.
Did you know newspapers, the ink is actually latex print. Especially when they are wet! Your mouse pads, rubber mats under chairs, and all electrical cords and weatherstripping. I hope this helps someone. go to address: http://www.latexallergylinks.org/musc.html
or email me back for more quesions.
My job has recently decided to patsch a hole in thew wall of my office. After aabout 30min of the sanding of the sheetrock & joint compound, I started having similer reaction as when I get around latex. I had to leave work due to it, after comiing back to work I had to clean all of the sanding dust off my desk & stuff. 2 hrs into the cleaning I was taken to the ER for an allergic react. Come to find out sheetrock contains latex & joint compound cxontains 2 types of latex.
Hi
I just recently found out i have a latex allergy. I get the rash and shortness of breath etc. I work in a shop with latex balloons and i was wondering does anyone know if touching surfaces that have come in contact with latex can cause a reaction i need to know so i can talk to work about it but i dont want to test it!!!
thanks x
It depends on how sensitive you are.
Certainly if you are working in an environment where latex is used a lot, small particles are bound to build up on surfaces.