The havea braziliensis is the name of the plant to produces the raw material latex. Most of these trees are cultivated and found primarily in the Southeast Asian region. It takes roughly five years for a latex tree to mature enough to produce latex, a milky fluid. It is within this liquid where proteins are found which is known to cause allergic reactions.

Throughout the manufacturing process, chemicals are added to latex to prevent the material from spoiling and to ensure certain rubber characteristics are maintained.  Manufacturers will add accelerators that promote the formation of the physical property and assist in making the manufacturing process more efficient. Formers made from porcelain are then dipped into the latex composition where it takes the shape of gloves. Since latex exam gloves are made from the protein in the raw material latex, it is important for manufacturers to minimize the number of proteins that exist in each glove.

Managing Latex Sensitivity | NEXT (Reactions Caused By Latex)>

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