It's just "balloon-acy"! The hidden dangers of latex allergy.

Individuals most at risk for latex allergy are workers with ongoing latex exposure, such as health care workers who often encounter latex gloves on the job. Latex exposure can occur through skin contact or by inhaling aerosolized latex particles. Similar to latex gloves, latex balloons are packed in powder for shipping and when they are inflated, the latex particles attached to the powder become aerosolized, creating an environmental hazard for individuals with latex allergy. Hospital administrations are following a national trend to prohibit latex balloons from the hospital environment and replace them with Mylar or a non-latex containing balloon.