: Hi John,

: I think Dean is on the right track ... I used to spend a lot of time wearing
: latex gloves preparing medications for an intensive care unit, and often
: two pairs of gloves when mixing chemotherapy --- hands got kind of chewed
: up from moisture being contained in the gloves (as well as having somewhat
: moist hands from handwashing before putting on the gloves) ... that,
: combined with the powder inside and outside the gloves that prevents the
: latex from sticking to itself may be the cause of the problems ( I doubt
: either of us were showing signs of a latex allergy, although that could be
: possible). And of course these problems had nothing to do with epoxy at
: that time.

: Try Dean's suggestion of thin cotton gloves, or put on the latex gloves over
: vinyl gloves for hand protection. If you are having problems elsewhere on
: your body, then epoxy might be the culprit. Of course, if you are having
: difficulty breathing or swelling in the throat - then an injection of
: benadryl or corticosteriods might be necessary at the emergency room.

: A simple remedy for minor skin rashes is 1% hydrocortisone cream which is
: available without a presciption for a dollar or two. Anything more serious
: requires a prescription from an MD. Be a little careful of taking over-the
: counter benadryl (diphenhydramine) oral allergy meds, as the antihistamine
: makes some people very drowsy ( sort of a legal non-presciption sleeping
: pill) ... I better quit now before I'm accused of practicing without a
: license...

: Hope this helps, John

I got sensitized to the powder they put on latex gloves. I work in a hospittal, also. Since we switched to powderless latex, problem dropped 90+%. I used to have rash on my hands a lot. Now I don't. Further reseach shows me why. They put corn starch in gloves -- yep, CORN STARCH! similar to the kind we eat but A much leser grade. Food Grade allows 75 insect parts / gram. Get that 75 in one gram (you know how little in one gram.) Industrial Grade? Who knows? WE are actually not sensitive to the starch, but rather the insect parts in it. Don't laugh! Most people who have non-pollen related allergy are allergic to- you got it- insect parts or their feces. Remmember those dust mites? Time to go home to do some laundery.