Nitrile Allergies

Hi, I'm also a nurse have developed a red irritation and burning with wearing nitrile gloves. I'm looking for more information and hope my reaction doesn't become more severe. I don't have a latex allergy since my employer already tested me. Due to my job, I have to wear the nitrile gloves almost every time I work b/c of the drugs I administer. Any more information would be helpful. Thanks!

I am curious if I have a nitrile sensitivity as well. I am a dental hygiene major. Every day that we are in clinic we have to wear nitrile gloves to treat patients and every day the top of my hands breaks out in a horribly itchy rash. If we have a break from school.. it clears up. The first day we are back in clinic wearing gloves, my hands are covered again. It particularly affects the part of my hands that the gloves fit the tightest against.. from the knuckle of my middle finger down to the knuckle of my thumb.

Hello,
I work in a microbiology lab and was told a few days ago that we have to switch to nitrile gloves from the latex. I've had to wear nitrile gloves in the past at another employer and discovered then that I had an allergy to nitrile gloves. I've been wearing the nitrile gloves for 5 days now and have discovered that my hands are starting to get raw, red and itchy. It seems like such a rare allergy to have but I see that I'm not the only one! I think I'm going to have to find another non-latex glove to wear, possibly vinyl.

Hi. I also have the same symptom as the above paragraph. I just found out today so I came to search that is it possible to be allergic to nitrile gloves. I normally wear latex, but today I swithed to nitrile because my labmates wear them and feel that they are better. I wore them for about 4 hours extracting RNA with mortars and pestols. The parts of my hands which made contact to the gloves are red and very itchy. I had some on my elbows too and realized that I had my sleeves down before and move them up to elbow level....unbelievable. Now the itch spread to my neck, back, and legs. Is it that systematic? I hope not. I'll go back to take a shower and see if it will get better... Thank you everybody for sharing your experiences here.

I am allergic to nitrile, rubber/latex, and vinyl gloves.

Since most gloves are processed with chemicals called "accelerators," I can't use such gloves.

And yes, the allergies can become SYSTEMIC as I ended up with itchy blisters that spread from my hands to my entire body like poison ivy reactions (which also can become systemic). With more research, you'll find websites talking about NITRILE ALLERGIES.

Look at this: http://www.aaaai.org/AADMC/ate/category.asp?cat=1094&s=50&keywords=

VA Hospital in La Jolla reported 3 cases in which a nurse suffered a systemic response and another person got anaphylactic shock.

And no, it doesn't get better. In fact, I only had localized reactions until it gradually became SYSTEMIC. Te more you are in contact with it, your dermatitis/sensitivity increases. You don't want to go there - to the point of anaphylactic shock.

The only gloves that I could tolerate were the Adenna Sensicare Advantix Purity polyurethane gloves - which are now DISCONTINUED by Adenna and Medline due to lack of materials... and probably lack of demand.

Now that most people are aware of latex allergies, it's just a matter of time before people realize that nitrile allergies are appearing. As nitrile gloves are still new, word hasn't caught on yet.

As for now, the only gloves that I didn't get a stinging rash from were the Sensicare Advantix polyurethane gloves which are gone.

I suggest that people write to Adenna and request the gloves back. You or someone you know can eventually develop a delayed sensitivity to nitrile or latex which can become a full-blown systemic problem.

I should know because I'm still scratching from the N-DEX Free gloves that I tried out. It took a couple days for the reaction, but now I'm scratching like crazy.

N-DEX Free is a nitrile glove made without "accelerators," but the nitrile itself is causing problems.

Unfortunately, N-DEX FREE IS BAD NEWS FOR ALLERGIES.

Write to Adenna and help bring back the only hypoallergenic glove that I know. I've worn it for a long time with no problems. It provides a great barrier for protection, stretches well, and doesn't pull on the skin.

I work in a histo lab and experienced red itchiness between my forefingers and one index finger. I have started to put cutproof gloves on under the nitrile and it seems to work ok. Not perfect, but it helps. I am sorry to see that so many people have experienced this.
I was told not to be daft when I suggested I might be allergic

Hi, I'm also allergic to nitrile gloves. I'm allergic to the sulphur in the accelerant used to produce most nitrile gloves but you can get accelerant-free nitrile gloves which I am not allergic to.

My wife is also highly allergic to nitrile gloves. She can not even be in a room where nitrile gloves are being used. She is a nurse in the local hospital and the hospital had to remove all nitrile gloves from the floor she works on and switch to Sensicare. This limits her movement in the hospital and she must carry an epi-pen with her at all times. Any info on nitrile allergies would be greatly valued.

I am having a bad reaction to nitrile gloves, too. I also started with extreme pain and blistering through the entire skin layer on the knuckles. I am looking for a suitable substitute, am latex sensitive, meanwhile am using nylon gloves underneath the nitrile. Not very comfortable but better than waking up in excruciating pain with weeping blisters.

UK OH nurse, very interested in any new ideas about Nitrile allergies as they appear to be increasing

I work at the Airport, as a janitorial superviser. I haven't an allergy to latex gloves, but when i actually have to get my hands into it there are nitrile gloves available. After each use of the nitrile i end up with the red burning rash up the tops of my hands right to where the gloves stop. i'm looking for information about this in medical journals, but all i've found is assumptions and those degree enabled "experts" saying it isn't possible...

I just wore Nitrile gloves for the first time (Purchased from my local big box home improvement center) and wore them yesterday. Today my hands are flaming red on the top.. knuckles, back of hand all burn. It resembles what happens when I get exposed to fiberglass, only 10x worse! I too have no alergies to Latex and haven't had much sensitivity to anything like this before. These products need a warning on them because until I found this page, I was panicking about what it could be!

And think-- what we're exposing our bodies to on a daily basis. Something as innoculous as gloves could do this to you.

I don't know if Nitrile and Vinyl have the same components, but I am defiantly allergic to Vinyl Gloves. I am a nursing student, and have had 3 progressively worse reactions, to vinyl gloves. Today, when leaving my clinicals, I noticed a rash all around my neck where I wear my stethoscope (which I'm guessing is made from vinyl). Working in the medical field it is impossible to avoid vinyl. Does anyone know if there is any treatment for this obscure allergy? Is nitrile the same as vinyl?

Hi: I too have just discovered that the Nitrile gloves I wear as a lab tech. may be the cause for my symptoms, which are: burning red hands, which swell and have pins and needles constant pulsing through them. My hands also have developed moderately severe pain and stiffness in the joints. These symptoms don't seem to go away now, even over the weekend while I am away from work. I have been wearing these gloves now for about 9 months and have just clued in that they could very well be the cause of my discomfort. I also work with HPLC's using a 50% ACN/LW buffer; so I am wondering if this is making my situation worse. I know that ACN converts to Cyanide once it is absorbed in the body through what ever mode of entry and is very dangerous to say the least. If there is any doctor (allergist or other)out there that can help, please provide a comment or possible resources that may help those of us that have posted our concerns on this site. I am so glad that I found this site, because before this I thought I was krazy to think the nitrile gloves were involved. Also, I know I have allergies to Sulfur and I now know that "accelerators" such as sulfur are used in the manufacturing of nitrile and also laytex gloves, so considered this in your quest to discover the culprit.

I think I may also have a sensitivity to nitrile gloves. I am a lifeguard, and our workplace went "latex free" last year. Since then, my hands have been red, raw, and sometimes bleeding. Like exzema. One day it occurred to me that it may be the gloves. I wore vinyl gloves while I taped a nitrile glove on my upper arm. When I was done with the vinyle gloves, I also took off the taped-on nitrile glove. It was red, had hives, and was itchy. Since then, I have tried to use just vinyl gloves (which are AWFUL because they break easily). Just yesterday, I couldn't find any vinyl so used the nitrile. The reaction was even worse since the last time I used them. Instantly my hands were burning and stinging at the same time, I got itchy red welts all over my body, and my eyes and face became itchy. I took a Benedryl and the symptoms subsided!!!

My grandmother has a severe allergy to Latex so,since I am her caregiver, I started using vinyl gloves(I am not allergic to Latex) and was told that nitrile was better. The first day I used the nitrile gloves I noticed that my hands began to itch and swell and red splotches began to appear. I thought maybe it was a fluke and was maybe something else. Well, it apparently is the nitrile gloves because I am still getting the same reaction everytime I put them on. The doc assures me he has never heard of allergies to nitrile--funny, I can tell from everyone elses responses here that indeed there is an allergy to nitrile gloves and vinyl gloves. It is not in my imagination. Having to use Triaminocynilone cream all the time is not my idea of normal. My hands are starting to look older than my Grandmothers and I am only 38!! Is there any other alternative out there to latex, nitrile, and vinyl?

I was wearing nitrile gloves at work, broke out in hives, hands swelled, and I developed a cough. Dr. says it has gone systemic, also broke out around my waist from sweating & jeans chaffing me. My eye swelled shut, lips swelled up and skin on my face is peeling. I'm on steriods now, after 3 days I can see my knuckles again, but I'm developing some infection, so now I'm on antibiotics too. Nothing topical has helped the itch except ice. The hives is clearing, but now my skin is peeling and cracking, causing further discomfort. the spots on my face were from contact while smoking, pushing my glasses up on the bridge of my nose & itching the corner of my eye. This stuff is nothing you want to mess around with. If you are getting symptoms, stop wearing the gloves before it gets worse, cause believe me, it can & will.

I am the President / CEO of FirstLine Gloves, Inc, a supplier of powder free latex and nitrile gloves to the EMS market.

Unfortunately, the conversion to nitrile was falsely promoted as a "fix all" for allergies. The bottom line, it is absolutely possible to be allergic to acrylonitrilabutadeine, the raw material used in the manufacturing of nitrile gloves.

In fact, a person can be allergic to AIR. The sensitization process and potential ultimate development of anaphylaxis in extreme cases cannot be predicted by either doses or time exposed to a glove. This is the same for latex as well as nitrile.

Gloves are manufactured using accelerators, the most common are carbamates and thiruams. Both can cause Type IV alleric reactions. There are accelerator free gloves and these can be tried to determine if accelerators are the culprit.

With the option to purchase Powder Free Latex, the incidence of latex allergy has dramatically declined. The powder was in fact the primary vehicle that the protein found in latex attached to, became airborne and ultimately sensitized so many individuals by providing a direct inhalation process to mucous membranes.

The Adenna polyurethane gloves were discontinued due to cost and low demand. They were developed by an engineer who initially intended them to be used in clean rooms due to their "cleanliness" levels and anti static properties. This base material can be utilized still however the hospital industry remains unwilling to procure products that are quality driven as opposed to price driven.

Users should try different brands of gloves, as the leaching process in the manufacturing cycle is critical to removal of all residual chemicals. Users may find that a different brand of nitrile will not cause a reaction, and the same applies with latex.

I hear of nitrile allergies daily to many manufacturer's gloves. I believe that in time hospitals and many other markets will offer both latex and nitrile as effective hand PPE, dealing with the potential reaction to anyphyaxis in both.

Users should seek a qualified allergist for testing using a western blot or rast assay to determine if they are allergic to either proteins, other raw materials or chemical acclerators.

Vinyl gloves typically have more pinholes and the material is not recommended as a barrier to pathogen penetration. OSHA recommends these gloves be used only when exposure is not prevalent.

In addition, the skins own natural oils are critical to the skins integrity and ability to withstand entry of any substance. The increased use of anti bacterial and anti microbial hand soaps, as well as quick dry hand soaps laden with alcohol have stripped the hands of these oils. Many soaps also contain chemical ingredients that cause allergies, however, users are conditioned to look at the glove as the culprit. Using colloidal oatmeal based soaps and lotions to promote the hands healing is critical to the users ability to wear gloves.

I hope this has been helpful.

I am the owner of Imtex Gloves (Eurpoe) and we are an importer and distributor of Latex Nitrile and Vinyl gloves. we have been working in this line for 7 years. our customers are Labs / Hospital / Dental and many other businesses where they are using gloves.
Regarding allergi and gloves, my experience tells me that one of the reasons for allergi are ofcause the accelerators in the gloves such as
Carbamates , but also there are so many cheap gloves on the market and nobody knows what the gloves contains. And belive it or not , and a lot of companies that are selling gloves, they do not know what they are selling and it is sad to say, THEY DONT CARE. just as long as they sell the product, but also the users are playing here,because of the price they wand a super product for no money but YOU CAN NOT GET THAT. You get what you pay for.
I was also reading what the CEO for FirstLine gloves wrote``!! and he is right that somebody can not wear any gloves at all.
We are located in Denmark Europe and our goal is to satisfy our users the best way and we also have people that can not work with our gloves, but the we work together and find a gloves or a solution and we find that nessasary for our future customers because it is our users hands and not ours.
So the conclusion for us is ,that do not accept the gloves you work with if you have a problem but find a reliable person that you can work with to solve your problem, and remember it is your hands.
You Care We Care
IMTEX, Henrik Ohm

I work in a research laboratory, which means I wear gloves all day, at least 5 days a week. Everyone in my lab wears Nitrile gloves, so of course I did too. For about the first 3 months, I was fine. Absolutely no indication that anything was wrong. Then I woke up one day with a huge, round, red, itchy, scaly rash on my wrist. I also had red, itchy, swollen eyelids and lips. It was clear that it was an allergic reaction, but I didn't know to what. After visiting several doctors and getting nothing but creams that temporarily covered up the symptoms (and no real answers) I decided to figure it out myself. After a few months had gone by, I had about 10-15 round, ithcy red rashes all over my hands, fingers, wrist, and even forearms. My eyes and lips continued to swell and itch. My coworker suggested it could be the gloves, based on the locations of my rashes. A little online research told me that it may not even be nitrile itself, but rather the accelerator chemicals used in manufacturing the gloves. This information is even listed on the box of gloves, which is why I'm baffled that doctors refuse to accept that nitrile allergies exist. I ordered N-DEX Free nitrile gloves which are not made with accelerators. I'm happy to report that after months of suffering, my hands and arms have completely cleared up, and I have only been using the new gloves for a few days. My eyes and lips are still swollen but I think it's only because the entire systemic reaction in my body hasn't completely cleared up. I just wanted to post my story here so others can realize that the symptoms do not necessarily occur the second you put a glove on. It can develop over time. Try different, hypoallergenic gloves. Also, I would suggest at least rinsing your hands with water every time you remove gloves, before you touch your face or eat, etc. Applying gentle lotions like cetaphil several times a day also really helps.

I'm an endoscopy tech. my unit went latex free last week. I had a skin reaction. Although I'm not quite sure to what glove caused hpersensitivity, my hands were a mess. Within a few hours my hand were a mess.The reaction became obvious when my hands started sweating,seemed to come with the onset of my My hands started sweating. Then burning sensation, swelling and turning red. The skin on my hands began breaking down. I went from one non latex glove to another. I have come to find very little information is being offered to the medical community regarding nitrile and it accelorators. Its hard to fight medical systems that isn't looking at nitrile in the same manner they have focused on latex. Medical people need to see the hazards of nitrile, and any glove which might pose problems down the line.

I am a registered respiratory therapist ,i first came in contact with nitrile gloves in 2001 as a student , when i put the gloves on immediately i had a heavy sensation in my chest , it felt like my lungs were being squeezed together from the inside , i immediately took the gloves off and washed my hands, thankfully after doing this it felt like my airways were slowly opening , to where i could breathe easier, in 2005 i went to an allergist ,for allergy testing, due to my seasonal allergies worsening ,i asked the allergist about a patch test for nitrile gloves ,when i informed the allergist of my reaction to the gloves , he did not want to perform the patch test on me due to my severe reaction to the gloves the very first time i had contact with these gloves . He told me to stay away from the nitrile gloves , dont look at them dont even think about them , and i did just that until the facility i was working at started introducing the sterling silver nitrile gloves in the emergency department in august 2008 ,i immediately went to the employee health nurse and informed her that i was allergic to the nitrile gloves , and my reaction to them , she in turn informed my department director , and he came to me and asked me about my reaction to the gloves , i was then told dont wear the gloves wear the vinyl. A few weeks working around the gloves , and i started getting a sore throat, i felt a tickle in my throat that would not go away , i would cough continously around the gloves , and my tongue felt like it was swelling , i was carrying an epi pen , my albuteol inhaler , and benedryl in my pockets , along with wearing a fanny pack of vinyl gloves around my waist , i started also to wear a mask , which helped a little for a short time , i notified my department director of the symptoms i was having , he replied keep wearing the mask . in november of 2008 i was in a code , a nurse just barely touched my elbow with her nitrile glove, i immediately felt a sting like the bite of a fire ant , or a bee sting. i looked at my elbow and where her glove touched i had welts on my elbow , after washing my elbow with soap and water repeatedly ,a hour later you could still see where i was touched , but now it looked like i had come in contact with poision oak or ivy , i consulted the ed physician ,who recommended that i take 25 mg of benedryl, because i am on allerx pe for allergies , and if that didnt help to come down and be treated as a patient. thankfully about 30 minutes to an hour after taking the benedryl i felt better and the rash was gone .after the incident ,my employer had me performing interim work , i was still exposed to the nitrile gloves and on january 6,2009 had a more severe reaction , my palms were scarlet red, i had red streaks up my arms my chest ,neck,face ,and upper back were red , i was shaking all over, i had difficulty breathing, and swallowing. I felt hot, I a patient in the emergency department that day, i was given 50mg of benedryl , and 125mg of solu-medrol both im,and prednisone 20mg twice a day for 5 days. I was terminated by my employer on 1-7-09 due to my nitrile glove allergy , i was told that the hospital was unhealthy place for me to be, i was a hard worker , and according to my department director one of the best respiratory therapist he has had in the department, but i was a liability , and they could not risk me dropping dead in the hallway, trying to take care of a patient. I am not allergic to latex, i was also told that i was unique, that the nitrile was suppose to be the answer to the latex problem. I had even spoke with a representative from kimberly clark the company that make the sterling silver nitrile gloves , that my former employer uses, she informed me that the same accelerants that are used in the making of the latex gloves are used in the making of the nitrile gloves , so i know its not the accelerants that i am having a problem with , i noticed during my last severe reaction to the nitrile , i could taste , and smell a funny peachy chemical like tatse and smell, its was very strange. i now cant even be in the same area as nitrile gloves , without turning red and having other problems.It is very hard for me to get medical treatment , because all the local hospitals have went to nitrile gloves , and most of the clinics .all hospitals and clinics should be made aware that they are several people out there that have a nitrile glove allergy , and in not only creating a solution for the latex allergy problem , it has created for individuals like myself not only a allergy, but a problem with finding medical care.

I would like to reply to the comment Ms. Colette Perches made concerning nitrile glove allergies , stating it is possible to be allergic to the acrylonitrilabutadeine in the gloves , but it was also possible to be allergic to air . That is one of the most ridiculous statements i have ever read , considering that would be incompatiable with life , that is like saying someone can be allergic to water. Now , i do agree that it is possible to be allergic to pollutants in the air , but not the air itself , such as pollutants in water , not the water itself. I would also like to ask this question, Is that what all representatives from these companies say , when they cant explain away someone\'s allergic reaction to the nitrile gloves? Because something similiar was said to me when the representative from kimberly clark spoke with me about my allergy, after asking me several questions and couldnt point my allergic reaction at anything else but the gloves. She said that what did she know , someone could be allergic to air for all she knew.

ive been working in an immunology lab for over a year now, and for the first 8 months we wore one type of nitrile gloves. but then the company (for whatever reason) decided to switch.

from almost the instant i put the new nitrile gloves on, i felt a burning sensation and severe itching.
due to never having a problem before i considered that maybe id inadvertantly come into contact with a chemical.
but after the 3rd time of wearing the gloves i realised they were actually the cause.

ive since tried several other pairs of nitrile gloves, all different in some form or another due to the manufacturing process or components.
i even went back to the previous type of gloves i had no problems with but found that i now react to them to.

i also tried a non-nitrile type; dermasheild neoprene gloves. these are advertised as being the best for those with allergies as they are latex/nitrile free, accelerator free and powder free.

i had my worse reaction yet to these gloves, with the burning/itching sensation travelling all the way up my arms instead of just staying localised.

since then i have been getting a spotty purple/pink raised rash whenever im in the lab.

it is thought that i now have a type I and IV hypersensitivity to the gloves. my doctor has finally taken me seriously due to a lot of bugging from myself/ work and an occupational health doctor and i now have a referral for patch testing which im currently waiting for.

As a Clinical Lab Scientist I wear nitrile gloves 8 hours a day. My palms, itch, sting, feel like pins and needles and my knuckles ache. I suspected the gloves and now find that others are experiencing similar problems. What alternative gloves are people using?

i have recently spoke with a representative from kimberly clark concerning the nitrile gloves ..that their company maufactures and distributes ..that my former employer uses ...from my discussion with the rep ..she acknowledges the fact that they are individuals that have a sensitivity to the nitrile gloves , she told me that they are recieving more calls from people saying that they have a problem with these gloves ..that they are aware that there is a patch test at allergist offices for not only the latex ..but the nitrile ...and the same accelerants that are used in making the latex gloves ..are used in making the nitrile gloves ..so if an individual has a problem with the accelerants changing from latex to nitrile will not help these individuals ..this company supposedly mistakenly filed my case under my former employers name...told me that their representative came to see me at my former employers ...twice ...which the rep only came to see me one time to ..try to point my reaction at something else other than the gloves ..but she couldnt ...then this lady tells me that they took samples of the gloves ..from my former employer and that all tests met standards ..so it was because of my own personal sensitivity to the nitrile ...( like i didnt know that already) she then asked after admitting to me that their company knew that there were individuals that were sensitive to the nitrile ...what can she do for me ..when i told her that i would like the company to let the hospitals and clinics know that this is not the fix all for the latex problem,,,that there were individuals like me that were sensitive or allergic to the nitrile gloves ..and that individuals that were allergic to the accelerants in the latex gloves will have a problem with the nitrile as well.. that companies ,have promoted these gloves so well ...that hospitals and clinics think that the only problem out there is latex allergies ..all i keep hearing is latex free ..allergy free ...everytime i ask what gloves do you use ...and thats after i repeatedly say i am allergic to nitrile gloves ...when i asked the rep to have her company make this a well known fact ...she started stuttering then got a little hateful ..i believe everyone having a allergic reaction to these gloves should pull together and let these companies know ..that they should make hospitals etc aware ..that latex allergy ..is not the only allergy ..some have a allergy to nitrile gloves , and to accelerants used in both kinds of gloves as well

have never used to have any such reactions myself, but still decided to get more info. just read a lot on the topic in the books I found with the help of http://www.picktorrent.com
engine or heard the experience of my friends. sounds pretty annoying though not really dangerous, still it requires much efforts to cope with. Thanks so much for the depth and understanding at which you covered the topic. it's a useful piece of information not only for me but for many others

i would like to respond to gwen's comment about how it sounds pretty annoying though not really dangerous ..my experience with these gloves is serious , in fact i have anaphylaxis just being in the room with these gloves or touching anything that these gloves may have touched . as with latex gloves , the individuals that are having a allergic reaction which is more of the itching , burning rash , it can lead anaphylaxis , as mine did...because after several repeated exposures to these gloves ..my reaction to the gloves increased ..i would call that dangerous ..and not annoying. its dangerous when it leads to someone not being able to even breathe or swallow when exposed to these gloves

Nitrile allergies are most likely to occur due to accelerators used during the manufacturing process of the gloves. The accelerators aid in the formation of the gloves so are therefore embedded into the gloves. However there are various companies that are selling nitrile gloves that are accelerator free. These are slightly more expensive but are less likely to cause a reaction to the gloves.

i would like to respond to richard's comment . It is true that some of the allergic reactions can be caused by the accelerators used to make the gloves , just like some people who thought they were allergic to the latex gloves were not truly allergic to the latex proteins , but the accelerators that are used in making the gloves. The same accelerators that are used in making the latex gloves are used in making the nitrile gloves. However, if you read all of these post you would notice that most of the individuals such as myself never had a problem with the latex gloves ,but we had a problem with the nitrile gloves .So it is highly unlikely that in my case , and those individual's cases , that it is due to the accelerators that are used in making these gloves.

l

To All Glove Wearers,

I had posted before and would like to emphasize the following information. It is in fact very possible, as so many users are posting, to be allergic to any glove material, latex, nitrile, neoprene, vinyl, polyerethane. Accelerants, such as carbamates, can cause severe irritation. Accelerator free gloves can still contain other components that can cause problems. Most important, if gloves are not properly leached, a process that removes residual chemicals from the process, it is more likely the user will have problems. There is cost in manufacturing "clean" gloves. Cleanroom gloves, industrial gloves processed and cleaned and utilized in cleanrooms, are the cleanest gloves on the market, however, they are not imported nor marketed for a medical application. These gloves are much more expensive than medical gloves imported and used in medical environments.

The key is to work with a manufacturer who is more concerned about user safety, and less concerned about cutting costs and mass distribution to markets where pennies are made on the case.

I cannot stress enough, that chronic use of soaps and sanitizers, frequent hand washing, and drying out the hand is dramatically increasing sensitivity to all raw materials. The hands skin absolutely needs its own oil to act as a barrier and keep the skin in tact. Chronic hand washing with alcohol based sanitizers strips the hand of its oil and creates direct pathways for chemicals to enter the base layer of the skin and create irritation.

I have worked personally with many glove wearers, and by implementing a simple hand care regime, using our Bio-Safe Skin Protectant with a cotton underliner, and oatmeal based soaps, found relief within a few days.

Simply using "accelerator free" gloves may not resolve the problem. Using a very clean accelerator free glove generally will. We offer Intercept Free, which has been cleaned to C10 cleanroom levels and have found great success for any user having a problem with other gloves. Again, I hope this information helps.

Colette Perches
CEO / President
FirstLine Gloves, Inc
www.firstlinegloves.com

Ms Colette Perches,

I would like to respond to your most current post. I noticed that you started your post , by stating how you have posted before,and if my memory serves me correct , in that post you even stated that someone could be allergic to air. You also started this post stating that you acknowledge the fact that individuals can be allergic to any glove material , but then seemed to place emphasis on the accelerators in the gloves. You then went on to the leaching process , and that some manufacturers did not care about the product that they were producing. You then basically promoted the accelerator free nitrile gloves that your company produces ( the intercept free gloves) which i found it very interesting that when i researched the intercept free gloves ,i was lead to your website for firstline gloves. You mentioned clean room gloves in your post my question is , which clean room gloves were you referring to? , since there are PU clean room gloves, Pu coated nylon clean room gloves, PVC clean room gloves , Latex clean room gloves , and of coarse the nitrile clean room gloves. You went on about the accelerators , but you did not go on about the other things such as the acrylnitrile , butadiene, and methacrylic acid that also make up the nitrile gloves .Nitrile Butadiene is a black rubber mix which there are documented allergic reactions to black rubber mixes. You also stated that you couldnt stress enough the importance of using a skin protectant such as the BIO safe skin protectant (again promoting) with a cotton underliner to protect the skin from breakdown which can increase sensitivity to raw material. I do agree that frequent washing of someone's hands , can cause drying and irritation , it can also cause small cracks in the skin , where if an individual is sensitive to a material they are more likely to develop and allergy to the material . This can happen with any material , this is what some believe happened with some of the latex sensitive individuals.Allergic contact dermatitis can happen this way , or just by placing gloves on (with skin in tact ) repeatedly. These individuals will see lesions , blisters on their hands, wrists and fingers, the skin can become scaly , and weepy. Of coarse it can become systemic , as mine did with the nitrile gloves. I also would like to state I have had a rast test i am not allergic to latex at all , but allergic to nitrile , i am asthmatic and i have spina bifida, from my research asthmatics , and individuals with spina bifida are suppose to be sensitive to latex or have a high rate of allergies to latex . Considering my circumstances , maybe they should do some research as to the possibility of asthmatics , and individuals with spina bifida having sensitivity/allergy to the nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves have not been out in the health care setting for very long, and there are several posts concering allergic reactions to nitrile gloves. A kimberly Clark representative informed me that they are getting calls everyday from individuals complaining of allergic reactions to the nitrile gloves . Latex glove allergies are well known they have been around since about 1894, nitrile gloves have been in healthcare for about 7 years. I believe it is just a matter of time before nitrile glove allergies will be very well known. My question is if manufacturers and distributers such as kimberly clark knew of the problems from using nitrile gloves , why didnt they inform the healthcare facilities that they promoted these gloves to ,about the problems ? The way i look at it , this is not a solution to an allergy, it has caused another problem . Individuals like me , are now like the individuals with latex allergies, cautious about where we go , since nitrile gloves , along with latex are used by postal workers, can be found at the local walmart, finding healthcare is a problem , due to clinics and hospitals using nitrile gloves. So, Ms. Perches, I do not see how your promoting your accelerator free nitrile gloves , with your bio safe skin protectant , and your cotton liners , solves any of these issues.

Wow, I thought I was the only one and that people thought I was crazy but now I see that I'm not. I'm 19 and I've been a cna for 6 months now however I stopped working as 1 for 3 months but when I started again everything was ok till 2months later I got a small irritation. Which then followed to the whole hand. Then I got small rashes on my wrists. I actually just quit my job today because of it. Because my job wouldn't provide me with gloves that my hands wouldn't react to and still had me working. My hands reacted to nitrile and vinyl and guesing by what Im learning latex wouldn't be much of a help either

This makes me very sad to know of how severe the consequences can be if we who are allergic to those gloves can have.Is there really anything that we can do about it other than stop using them? Because until these nitrile gloves, I wasn't allergic to ANYTHING! It makes me so sad because I never asked for any of this. All I did was work and help peolpe. Is there anything that we can do because there is alot of us and growing. Plus the people who arn't allergic don't care.

I am a nurse with 32yrs experience I have no problem with Latex,, I do have some food allergies. I intially had to wear the Nitrile gloves to react, now I can not be in the same rooms as them. This is impacting on not only my work but now my life as the Ambulances only carry Nitrile gloves as do police and even my own ED, so god help me if I have an accident. But the glove manufacturers don't care, i am quite often disbelieved and yes companies do not care ,, i am treated like a freak. I am terrified everytime i Get exposed as my reaction steps up... if you have a latex allergy hospitals bend over backwards, you have a nitrile allergy and tough... I am fed up of being told you are a minority so who acres,,,

I am a surgical tech who is no longer able to work due to extreme allergies to carbamates, thiurams and mercapto mix. These are all used in the glove making process. I get blisters on the dorsum of both hands within 24-48 hrs after glove use.The itching, cracking skin and potential for the reaction to spread scare me. I have tried many brands of gloves and I can't find any that I can wear! There has to be something out there! If you know of anything please let me know! josieyelton@gmail.com.
The work I am doing now is really not enjoyable compared to working in the OR. Thanks!

I work as a quality control technician in a cement plant. We wear nitrile gloves to protect our hands from the cement dust and chemicals, but the gloves are even worse for me! My hands begin to sweat profusely immediately, then I get red, itchy spots all over my hands, and finally those spots turn into ulcerated sores. When I am off work for a week and can use hydrocortisone cream religiously, my hands clear up, but the first day I go back to work and have to use the gloves my hands break out again. I am thinking of using cotton liners but have very large hands. Does anyone know where I can order the cotton liners?

I recently found out I was allergic to nitrile. Not because of gloves, but because of my gauges. The little rubber stoppers (O-Rings) on the back of my jewelry is made of black nitrile. It is very irritating and causes itching swelling and crusts over. I have discovered that they make silicone O rings that I am not allergic to. I am afraid of coming in contact with nitrile gloves... Maybe silicone could be used as a glove material?

I am a dental assistant, when I did my first co-op placement the office only had latex or nitrile gloves, since i am sensitive to latex i had to wear the nitrile by the second day i was experiencing red, itchy hands, blisters, sore, i now wear vinyl gloves they are a pain in the butt to put on.

I am so glad that I am not the only one. Ive been working as a CNA for a few weeks now and for whatever reason now that I am done with my training and am on the floor 7 days a week Ive developed a red burning area on the top of my hands towards the end of my gloves. Ive never had a reaction to the gloves like this before however I also wasn't wearing them constantly 9 hours a day 7 days a week...Im glad to see that Im not the only one having the same symptoms to the gloves.

I am a flight attendant and we switched to Nitrile gloves. Even though I only wear them for short periods, my hands are red and swollen, and the night after a day of flying is the worst-the itching wakes me up and I could just rip the skin off my hands they are so itchy. Looks like I'll be bringing my own latex gloves to work, or using a liner. For everyone who has flaking skin with this allergy, I recommend Bag Balm. It really helps with the flaking. I am now on antihistamines to get rid of the allergic reaction, and those seem to be working.

I am so glad I thought to google "nitrile allergy!" I've been in dental school clinic for ~1.5 years, just this summer started getting a persistent round, red, flaky, itchy rash on the outside of my right wrist and near my thumb. Then my knuckle on left ring finger got all splotchy red and itchy. I would want to scratch it til the skin came off! I went away out of town for 5 days and didn't have any problems.

Then I came back and it started up again! Not dry skin: 1 week of neurotic lotioning didn't help. Hydrocortisone cream helps it --> allergy to something.

Oh yes and I get flaky red eyelids. Hopefully switching to latex will solve this! Thanks for all the comments!!!

Is anyone successful in proving this is an real allergy to worker's comp.. I fear my 40 year career as a CLS in the lab is coming to a halt due to increasingly sever reactions to nitrile. Itching,swelling, weeping sores, coughing, swollen eyes and legs, just now being near gloves is a problem. I know it is the gloves. Any suggestions?

responding to ann's question , I hired an attorney , who compared my nitrile glove allergy to a person that had a latex allergy. Since in my field of work I had to wear and constantly be around gloves . It was an instrument I used in my career field , that caused my allergic reaction, and also sensitized me even more by just being exposed to the nitrile gloves after my employer had knowledge of my allergy, and still had me working in areas where I was around the nitrile gloves. The reason that my attorney compared the gloves to latex , is that there were no cases at that time, for worker's compensation for an allergy from nitrile gloves , but there were worker's compensation cases for latex. I was successful in my worker's compensation claim against my former employer.

I have had type IV allergic reactions to both latex and nitrile gloves and I tried a new glove from Ansell: Ansell Microtouch Nitrafree, with no reaction. The lovely people at Henry Schein (Australia) actually sent me out a sample to try for free as well.

response to Tina....I was able to get worker's comp in Ca to recognize the nitrile allergy even though I do not have a latex allergy. The employer wants me to return to work ASAP...however the ALLERGIST said that was not possible to the severity of my reactions. So I guess I will be covered under the ADA act. I am not sure how long I will be able to collect TTD payments however...I am sure that will be a battle my attorney will have to wag. There are so many more blogs now with employees having nitrile allergies and I found a recent article on a web page for FIG FirstLine Gloves stating they knew it is possible to develop a reaction to nitrile gloves or any synthetic latex free alternative...it is under the heading nitrile versus latex....hope this might help those of you out there