Formulated Polymers Products have announced that they are now basing all their natural rubber latex cold seal adhesives on low protein latex.
Why Are We Doing This?
Films of natural rubber latex exhibit very high levels of auto-adhesion. When brought into contact these films bond instantly and aggressively. This makes natural latex an ideal material for use in the manufacture of cold seal adhesives and it has been a staple component for decades.
Natural rubber latex comes from the sap of the tropical rubber tree, Hevea Brasillensis. The sap contains naturally occurring proteins. These proteins can cause an allergic response in some people. Latex allergy generally develops after repeated exposure to products containing natural rubber latex. Latex allergy was unusual until the late 1980s when more healthcare workers began using powdered latex gloves to control infections.
Natural latex typically contains between 500 and 800ppm protein. Formulated cold seal adhesives typically contain between 300 and 500ppm protein.
Our decision to base all our cold seal adhesives on low protein natural latex will reduce the protein content to less than 70ppm. The change will not affect the performance of our cold seal. We will be sourcing our low protein latex directly from a South East Asian manufacturer with whom we have a 20-year relationship and whose quality is exceptional.
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