Some of you who live in Canada may have seen the recent episode of
Marketplace on CBC-TV which featured a segment on latex allergy. With
the proliferation of the use of latex gloves, there has been a virtual
explosion in the rates of latex allergy. S/S can range from mild local
irritation to anaphylaxis. They estimate that as many as 10% of health
care workers in the US are now sensitized to latex.

A spokesperson for an organization of latex-allergy sufferers (I'm
sorry, I didn't get the name of this org.)said that latex nipples on
bottles and soothers DO expose babies to the latex proteins, and any
exposure may contribute to later sensitization.

Obviously, many babies require feeding which, for various reasons, will
not come from mothers' breasts. Some babies also spend hours each day
sucking on latex pacifiers.

I have never seen this issue addressed before in any forum. It could be
chalked up to another hidden advantage of breastfeeding, but what are
the implications of this? Any thoughts?

Catherine Mallon
Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada