Latex Allergy Info From The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Other Dermatology Sites Of Interest
Art supplies are always around at the Hagelin home. Until a month ago, three-year-old Leah never used fingerpaints. When she did, her arms hurt. It seemed some red paint would not come off.
"As I was washing her arms she said, 'Mommy, Mommy, it's not paint. It's a rashy,'" said Stephanie Hagelin, Leah's mother. "It was real red and rough and raw, and she complained that it hurt a lot."
Leah has food allergies -- peanuts, wheat, barley, rye and oats.
"I grabbed the bottle and I looked around and there's absolutely nothing on the bottle except the label and the name," Hagelin said. "And on the box, all it said was non-toxic."
The Food and Drug Administration requires ingredient information for possible allergens in food products, but not in non-food. She could not get any information over the phone.
A little research on the Internet led Hagelin to one possibility -- latex. It can be in everything from pencil erasers and glue to markers and modeling clay.
"One of the biggest culprits, blowing up a typical old rubber balloon, is probably one of the easiest ways to have reactivity to latex," said allergist Dr. Karen Dunn.
The reaction can be anything from a mild rash to breathing problems. There's no skin test for latex allergy. Blood tests are not always accurate.
"Not only could latex antigens be a factor in some products, but believe it or not, sometimes food antigens can be a factor in some products," Dunn said.
Dunn said wheat can be found in some kinds of modeling clays. Hagelin hopes one day non-food products will include possible allergens on labels, so she will not worry when her children show their artistic side.
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