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Rapra Review Reports, Vol. 12, No. 6, Report 138, 2001

By N. Chaiear, Khon Kaen University, Thailand

This report takes a broad overview of the rubber industry and highlights the key concerns over safety that are currently being raised. The statistics on the incidence of accidents are reviewed. The rubber industry has been highlighted as having a higher rate of accidents than other similar industries.

Measures that can be taken to avoid injury from machinery are discussed, including advice from the International Labour Organization on mill safety.

Rubber dust and fume exposures are considered to be general health hazards. Specific chemical hazards are described. Solvents have been responsible for many health effects in the rubber industry, these are outlined here. Monomers such as butadiene have known health effects, which are described.

There have been multiple reports of raised cancer incidence in the rubber industry often linked to exposure to specific chemicals. Nitrosamines have been linked to cancer and are formed during the curing reaction in some rubber formulations. A useful table listing the known cancer studies in the rubber industry is included.

Latex allergy is probably the most controversial topic in the industry at the moment. This is described, together with other common skin reactions to rubber and rubber chemicals.

Pertinent legislation and the legal duties of employers to protect their workforce are both outlined. In these days of expensive litigation, this is a useful summary.

The author cites the medical papers and books which provide further information on specific issues. The review is accompanied by around 400 abstracts from the Rapra Abstracts database, to facilitate further reading on this subject. These abstracts include many articles on latex allergy and nitrosamines. Efforts have been made to isolate and eliminate the proteins in latex that cause reactions, both by latex treatments and by assessing alternative sources of latex to Hevea, such as Guayule. Similarly, much research has gone into isolating and eliminating the generation of nitrosamines.

Key features

• Legislation
• Latex allergy
• Chemical safety
• Machinery safety
• Rubber dust and fume
• Cancer incidence

Contents

• Introduction
• The Law Affecting Health and Safety
• Industrial Safety: Equipment
• Fire and Explosions
• Solvents
• Epidemiology
• Natural Rubber Latex Allergy
• Skin Irritation and Dermatitis
• Dust and Fume
• Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Nitrosamines
• 1,3-Butadiene
• General Recommendations for Handling Rubber Chemicals
• Conclusion

• About the author

  The author has worked in occupational medicine in Thailand and in the UK, surveying workers and health effects. She has published papers on the incidence of latex allergy in different parts of the rubber industry, from the plantation workers through to the product manufacturers.