Big news today about a natural alternative to traditional latex, safe for even those suffering from latex allergies. The Yulex corporation has signed a deal with distributor Centrograde to market their Guayule latex under the name Yulex Natural Rubber Latex:
Eight to 12 percent of medical workers in the U.S. and Europe suffer allergic reactions to the proteins in tropical, or Hevea, latex. Although latex medical gloves and condoms are a primary focus for this new material, latex medical products are essential tools in healthcare for a wide range of procedures ranging from dental surgery to cardiac catheterization. Until now, no safe alternative source of natural rubber latex existed.
“This kind of an innovation only comes around every 30 years in the latex industry,” says Horst Sakreida, managing director of Centrotrade Deutschland GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. “There is an enormous need for this material in the medical industry and it is a great opportunity to be involved in a major market shift.”
Only once every three decades! Remember where you were when you heard this news. Also be sure to tell the makers of all those nonlatex gloves that have become so popular in recent years.
The technology…
More at Yulex…
(Photo credit: Russell Gates / The Arizona Republic)