Hydrolysed corn starch is added as a lubricant, to enable easy donning of the glove by tumblng the gloves in a slurry of starch and biocide. Starch has been shown to bind to the latex proteins, and act as a vector for transfer of the protein to the skin or to the lungs (as an airborne dust) which can cause asthma (see later for a fuller discussion of starch powder).
Pete Phillips <pete@smtl.co.uk>