Former staff nurse Margaret Costello is suing a Lancashire hospital for up to £100,000 for injuries caused by having to wear latex protective gloves.

Ms Costello, of Garth Terrace, York, claims the gloves she had to wear while a staff nurse at the Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust sparked an allergic reaction.

She has issued a writ against the Trust in the High Court in London claiming damages of between £50,000 and £100,000.

The writ, issued by Ms Costello's London-based solicitors Leigh, Day and Co, says: "The plaintiff's (Ms Costello's) claim is for damages and consequential losses resulting from her personal injuries sustained as a result of her exposure to known allergens predominantly contained in latex gloves during the course of her employment as a staff nurse... between September 1996 and January 1998."

It claims Ms Costello's injuries were caused by the "breach of statutory duty and/or... negligence" on the part of the hospital trust.

Ms Costello's solicitor Daniel Bennett said he was unable to comment on the detail of her case.

But he said there were two main types of allergy related to latex.

In one type, people were allergic to chemicals used in the manufacture of latex. It could cause rashes and painful blistering and cracking of the skin.

In a second, more serious type of allergy, people could be sensitive to the latex itself.

That could cause a much quicker reaction. It could cause swelling, rashes, breathing problems and asthma - and even send sufferers into anaphylactic shock, which could prove fatal.

He said there had been a number of fatalities in the USA, though none were recorded in the UK.

Ian Cumming, chief executive of the Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust, said today he was unable to comment on Ms Costello's case because it was "subject to legal proceedings".

But he added: "There is an issue that some people become sensitive to latex gloves which are worn by staff for their own protection during a wide variety of medical procedures.

"Some people do still become sensitive, but it is a very, very small proportion.

"Quite a lot of work has been done at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary to find out what can be done to prevent this happening. The occupational health team is researching this problem and it is a problem we are aware of."

Ms Costello declined to comment when approached by the Evening Press.

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