Hello 2toxic-ga,
I have only managed to find one source which definitely matches all
your criteria:
It is a paper that appeared in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology in 1994 ( Volume 94, Issue 3 Pt 1, pp. 445-451)
Quantification of occupational latex aeroallergens in a medical
center.
Swanson MC, Bubak ME, Hunt LW, Yunginger JW, Warner MA, Reed CE.
Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic 55905
The pertinent extracts from the abstract are:
"... we collected air samples from work sites by using area and
personal breathing zone air samplers, and we measured latex allergens
by an inhibition assay with IgE antibodies from latex-sensitive
individuals. Latex aeroallergen concentrations in 11 areas where
powdered latex gloves were frequently used ranged from 13 to 208
ng/m3, and in areas where powdered latex gloves were never or seldom
used, concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 1.8 ng/m3. Installation and
use of a laminar flow glove changing station in one work area did not
reduce latex aeroallergen levels. Large quantities of allergen were
recovered from used laboratory coats and anesthesia scrub suits and
from laboratory surfaces. Latex allergen concentrations in personal
breathing zone samplers worn by health care workers in areas where
powdered gloves were frequently used ranged from 8 to 974 ng/m3... ...
Latex allergens were found in all particle sizes but were predominant
in particles greater than 7 microns in mass median aerodynamic
diameter. Results of electrophoretic immunoblotting showed that the
aeroallergens are primarily the higher molecular mass components of
the latex glove proteins..."
If your library cannot get hold of the full text, it is available for
a fee through BioMedNet (there is an "order document" button at the
bottom of the page). The URL for the Medline record on BioMedNet is
http://reviews.bmn.com/medline/search/record?uid=MDLN.94365299
NB You have to register (no charge) in order to use BioMedNet. If you
do not wish to do this, you can see the Medline record on PubMed at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8083449&dopt=Abstract
You might also be interested in the following paper from 1995, because
although it does not deal with a hospital environment, it does mention
the use of other methods to identify latex particles:
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 1995 Volume 95(Issue 1,
Part 1) pp. 88-95
Latex allergen in respirable particulate air pollution.
Williams PB, Buhr MP, Weber RW, Volz MA, Koepke JW, Selner JC.
Allergy Respiratory Institute of Colorado, Denver 80222.
"Urban air samples contain numerous irregular respirable black
particles, which may be airborne tire fragments. A major component of
tires is natural latex... ...Particulate air pollutants were collected
by volumetric sampling devices and characterized by optical
microscopy, chemical solubility tests, and mass spectrometry. Extracts
of rubber tire fragments were tested for elutable latex antigens by
antibody inhibition assays. RESULTS: Identification of latex in air
samples and milled material from automobile tires was supported by
mass spectrometry results and was further confirmed by physical
appearance and chemical solubility studies. Competitive immunoassay
confirmed the presence of extractable latex antigens from rubber tire
fragments. ..."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7822669&dopt=Abstract
(record on PubMed)
http://reviews.bmn.com/medline/search/record?uid=MDLN.95122936 (record
on BioMedNet)
Search strategy on www.scirus.com (a scientific search engine) for
latex aeroallergens
I hope that this is what you are looking for. Please request
clarification if there are any problems. |
