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The Non-Latex
Balloon Alternatives FAQ
- About this FAQ
- About Latex Allergies
- Alternatives to Latex balloons
- General Questions
- Round Balloon alternatives
- Twisting balloon alternatives
- Other product suggestions
- Customer questions for non-entertainment uses of balloons
- Selling latex free balloons
- Additional Resources
Section 1: About this FAQ
Q. Why was this FAQ written?
A. This FAQ is being written in response to my own search for latex free
balloon twisting balloons. Its still very messy, however because I had so
much trouble tracking down the information I have, I think that it may provide
others with at least a starting point for answering their own questions
Q. Is this FAQ legal and/or medical advice?
A. The author of this FAQ is neither a lawyer nor a doctor, so you should not
consider this medical or legal advice. If you need medical and/or legal advice,
talk to a doctor or a lawyer (or both!).
Q. Is this FAQ copyrighted?
A. Yes, this FAQ is copyright 2006 by Steven Santos / Simply Circus.
All rights reserved.
Q. Who do I contact with additions or corrections to this FAQ?
A. You can email those to us at info@simplycircus.com
Section 2: About Latex Allergies
Q. Are latex allergies real?
A. This is a topic under heavy debate in the medical community. The
truth is that there are a lot of questions about this allergy that have not been
adequately answered yet, and it is a subject that needs a lot more
research. The most prevalent train of thought on the subject is that most
of those
who suffer latex allergies are allergic to a specific protein found in natural
rubber. There are a number of other theories on the subject, however this is
going well beyond the scope of this FAQ.
If you are reading this FAQ, in all likelihood
you are either an event entertainment professional that uses balloons in
decoration, or a performer that uses balloons in your performance. As
events personal and performers,
it's not our job to determine if its a real allergy or not. It IS our job
to provide our customers with the services they are asking for, and latex free
balloons is a premium service that's very much in demand.
Q. If someone is allergic to latex, why can they be in houses
with latex paints, and around other latex products, but not balloons?
A. That is a complex question. The short answer is that not all latex is
created equally (See "Is Latex Paint Hazardous To Latex Allergy Sufferers"
for a longer answer). Latex balloons contain the natural rubber proteins
that those with latex allergies are believed to be allergic too, while many
other forms of latex contain synthetic rubbers that don't contain the proteins
that latex allergy sufferers are allergic to. Again,
its not our job to determine if its a real allergy or not, but to provide our
customers with the services they are asking for!
Q. What percentage of the population is effected by latex
allergies?
A. No one that I have contacted is quite sure what population is affected by
this allergy, but CDC estimates the range from 10%-15% of the general population (about
the same range as other allergies), to as high as 25% of specific populations
(such as Spina Bifita patients). Its a significant enough portion that you
are likely to run into it at some point in your career.
Q. Where am I likely to run into latex bans?
A. Going latex-free is quite expensive to do in any setting. Even so, you
can find such bans just about anywhere. Some of the more common places
that you will find latex bans include:
Health Care Facilities. More and more hospitals, nursing
homes, pediatric units, doctors offices and other health care facilities are
banning natural rubber latex. This
article gives a good overview of the general reasoning that they have for
doing so, but I should note that the synthetic latex balloons they mention at
the bottom of the article do not actually exist as far as we have been able to
tell.
Schools. A quick google search turned up over 200 schools in
the US alone that banned latex for the 2006-07 school year. While my
googling turned up lawsuits on both sides of the issue (parents with children
that have a latex allergy suing to force a ban and parents who sue over being
saddled with the sometimes very high additional costs involved when a ban is
put in place at their child's school), as entertainers we should expect these
numbers to continue to grow on a year-over-year basis.
Churches. Many churches are banning latex. These bans
seem to be mostly initiated when a member of the church is allergic to
latex.
Libraries, stores and other places of public access. More and
more places of public access are banning latex as a way of limiting their own
liability. While I have yet to find a store that has stopped carrying a
product for the sole reason it has latex in it, many stores and other places
of public accommodation are limiting or eliminating their own use of latex.
Q. How will I know a latex allergy when I see it?
A. The symptoms a latex-allergic individual will present with will differs
from individual to individual. Common symptoms can range from mild to
severe and may include:
- Hives or welts
- Swelling of affected area
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Headache
- Reddened, itchy or teary eyes
- Sore throat, hoarse voice
- Abdominal cramps
- Breathing difficulties, including chest tightness, wheezing, or
shortness of breath
**
Continued
exposure to latex may progress to a severe and **
** life threatening allergic
reaction called anaphylaxis. **
Q. How should I react when I see, or suspect that I see an individual
having a latex reaction?
A. As an events entertainment professional and/or performer, how you react
will be dependant on the situation at hand. First and foremost, make sure
the individual is cared for. After ensuring that the individual is being
properly cared for, your next priority will generally be to help ensure the
crowd doesn't panic - this will often mean getting back to your show or other
performance.
Q. How should I care for someone suffering from a reaction to latex?
A. The short answer to this is only do what you are trained to do. If
you are not trained in how to care for this condition, then you want to get
people who are trained to this person as quickly as you can by calling
911. You also want to get the person away from the latex by removing them
from the area and keeping all of those that likely have high concentrations of
latex (this will usually and especially include you) away from
them.
Q. I have a mild contact allergy to latex, are there any products that can
help me continue to twist?
A. Nitril gloves are commonly suggested for this. They do work, however
unless your hands fit them perfectly, you will get them caught in the balloons.
A number of twisters have had some success with a product called Hands
Plus. Hands Plus acts as a barrier between the skin and the latex, allowing
the twister to continue using the balloons for a period of time. Please
note that these are, at best, a stop-gap measure. They might get you an extra
year or two, but they will not cure the underlying allergy, which may get worse
over time.
Alternatives to Latex balloons
General Questions
Q. If so many people run into this issues, isn't there a drop-in replacement for the
natural rubber in the latex?
A. While in theory you should just be able to swap the natural rubber for
a synthetic and make balloons out of that, its not quite that easy.
Synthetic rubber tends to be heavier and does not have the same stretch as
natural rubber. This means that a manufacturer would have to completely
re-engineer the balloons, cast new all molds and otherwise do a lot of work
to make it possible. Unfortunately, this means that for the time being,
there are no
"drop in" replacements available, and we have to work with other
alternatives.
Q. If the manufacturers were to do a better job of washing or leeching
the balloons, wouldn't this solve the problem for the vast majority of latex
allergy sufferers?
A. Yes. According to Francois Collard of Dutch Dipping (one of the
big manufacturers of the dipping equipment used to make balloons), "If
the balloon factories do the washing ( leaching) better and longer the problem
is solved for 90%" of those affected by latex. "But this leaching
costs time and money" that consumers
have thus far been unwilling to pay.
In the early 1990's one company did offer a 260 style balloon that had gone
through a longer washing and leeching process that removed most of the
allergen from the balloons. Due to the very high costs of the product
they were selling, this company was unable to sell enough balloons to justify
continued production. As far as we have been able to find, no one currently
makes balloons using a longer leeching process.
Q. You said "for the time being," what does that mean?
A. The rumors going around some of the email lists are true, Simply Circus
has been in discussions with a manufacturer of a synthetic rubber that may one
day yield a drop in replacement for those with latex allergies. At this
time we don't have any results, and we don't expect them any time soon.
This is at least a few years off, and that's assuming we can solve lots of
problems. In short, you should focus on other alternatives for the time
being.
Q. As an event planner or performer, is it possible to go completely
latex free?
A. At the time of this writing (2006), the currently available alternatives to natural latex
balloons are not viable for an existing balloon business to go completely
latex free, however the alternatives that do exist make it possible to offer
latex free alternatives to those that need it.
Our advice to event planners and balloon performers is to start slowly
adding latex free products and services as demand grows. We also highly
advise all of those that work with balloons to begin educating yourself on the
issue, and prepare to do consumer education on the subject when needed.
Q. What is the current state of the balloon industry on this issue?
A. Right now (2006) the balloon industry is much where the healthcare
industry was on the issue in the early 1990's. Most of those in the
industry right now may have heard of the issue, but don't really know much
about. Alternatives are not well known or well accepted within the
industry. They are often sub-standard when directly compared with the
more traditional counterparts, and they are very costly in terms of both the
time required to get the job done with them, and in the costs of the materials
themselves.
As a comparison, the ten most common latex products used in the medical
industry today all have drop in replacements that are just as good, if not
better than the original latex version, and they are available at a about the
same price point.
Q. Will it ever be possible to go completely latex free?
A. In the long term, I think it will be, but its not going to be an
easy road. The tipping point will likely come when we, as an industry,
have access to balloons made out of a synthetic rubber latex of similar
specifications to what we use now. That would allow the industry to address
the issue without having to make major changes to how our businesses operate.
Q. As an event planner / performer, are there any advantages to using
non-latex substitutes that I should know about?
A. Actually, yes, non latex balloon products can have a number of
advantages to latex, including:
- Mylar and plastic balloons last weeks longer than regular rubber balloons,
allowing decorations to be prepared much further in advance than is
possible with latex balloons.
- Mylar and can often be
reused or donated after an event.
Round Balloon Alternatives
Q. What alternatives are available for round balloons?
A. Fortunately, there are a number of alternatives that are widely
available for replacing round balloons.
Mylar Balloons. Available from most distributors, Mylar
balloons are made by several manufacturers and come in a wide variety of
sizes, shapes and colors, including prints.
Foil Balloons. Available from most distributors, foil
balloons are made by several manufacturers and come in a wide variety of
sizes, shapes and colors, including prints.
Plastic Balloons. Plastic balloons are generally made from
polyurethane, and come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors.
PVC Balloons. Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC balloons are usually large
balloons (usually over 4 feet), and come in a number of shapes and
sizes. PVC balloons tend to be higher budget items. You can also use inflatable
PVC balls for different effects.
Vinyl balloons. Various vinyl balloons are available from a
limited number of distributors. Vinyl balloons typically will not
float.
Balloon Twisting Balloon Alternatives
Q. What alternatives are available for twisting balloons?
A. While the selection is much slimmer for latex free twisting balloons
than it is for rounds, there are a few alternatives that are available. Note:
Because their are so very few alternatives for balloon twisting balloons, for
the time being we will link to specific manufactures/vendors and the
individual products we have found to work.
 PVC
balloons. We have had some success using the 63" long Inflate
Bongo Sticks from Oriental Trading
Company (Item # IN-49/749). The down side to these is that they
are not easy to twist. Problems twisting these range from it being hard to judge exactly how much to under-inflate
them, to the bulk involved in twisting them, to the vinyl's tendency
to let go when twisted too tightly. When I use these I tend
to leave 6 inches at the valve side. Keeping the tail at the valve
side allows you to open the valve and adjust
the amount of air in them fairly easily. To deal with the difficulty
twisting these, I use small zip strips to
make the bubbles in the vinyl balloon, clipping
the excess off very close to the head of the zip-strip. I only
use actual twists
when absolutely necessary. Even when I actually
twist them, I try to use a zip strip when possible to avoid any hard twists.
Poly Tubing. A number of balloon artists have had some success
using poly tubing in place of their balloons. Poly tubing usually
comes on a roll, allowing you to make any length balloon you need. You
will have to select with thickness (from 1 mil to 12 mil) and widths (from
1/2 inch to 12 inches and up) for your needs. Poly tubing can not be effectively
tied and is generally closed using a heat sealer. Sealed poly tubes
can generally be twisted much like normal balloons, however you will
sometimes find that zip strips are indispensable when twisting these.
On the down side, poly tubing comes in a very limited selection of color
(clear is common, and you can sometimes find yellow). A google search
for "Poly Tubing" will turn up venders for both the tubing and the
sealing machines.
Other Product Suggestions
Q. What other products can I offer in this space?
A. Here is a list of other suggestions I have collected on other products
that you can use in the latex free balloon world:
- Plastic Bubbles. This product has been around since at least the
1960's, and is available in a number of colors from a number of different
manufacturers. Good for live performances, not so good for souvenirs.
Customer questions about non-entertainment uses of balloons
Q. I have clients asking about alternatives for non-entertainment uses
of balloons. What should I do?
A. Suggest alternatives! This is becoming a common issue, and being able
to give clients or potential clients answers will help you make sales now and
in the future. You may even be able to turn these questions into
sales. Here is a list of common non-entertainment uses for latex
balloons, alternatives you can suggest, and ideas for turning it into a sale
| Usage |
Alternatives |
Sale ideas |
| Water Balloons |
- Small Zip Lock sandwich or snack bags can be filled in a bucket and sealed underwater.
- Small, inexpensive plastic baggies (without a zip seal) can be filled with water and sealed with a twisty tie or small zip strip
(with the ends trimmed to remove sharp points) or with latex free rubber
bands.
- 4" Mylar balloons can be filled with water using turkey
basters or funnels.
|
- Water balloon party.
- Poly bags. If you have a heat sealer and rolls of poly bags as a balloon twisting alternative, you can also sell pre filled water balloons to go with your
water balloon party.
|
| Paper Mache molds |
Depending on the project, you can usually use on of the round balloon
alternatives. See the section on "Round Balloon
Alternatives" for specifics.
|
Craft parties based on Paper Mache |
| Balloon toss |
Any of the balloon alternatives listed for water balloons should work
|
|
| School Pressure Experiments |
Teachers that use balloons for in class pressure experiments can try
inserting a rubber balloon inside of a clear 18" plastic balloon
just before class. This will allow most experiments to be
conducted without other modification.
|
Pre-made pressure experiment kits. Use this contact
to try and up-sell school functions/ |
Selling latex free balloons
Q. latex-free alternatives are a lot more expensive. How do I sell
that?
A. Going latex-free is quite expensive to do in any setting. Those
that are looking for latex free balloons are, by and large, going to
already know this. When selling a product or service to a facility that
has gone latex, you should sell that as a premium product. If a customer
questions it, explain to them that your costs are a lot higher, and that is
reflected in the price you are charging them.
Q. What talking points can I use when selling non-latex balloons?
A. Here are some number that might help when explaining to your customers
why its so much more ways of looking at it
Its not an apples-to-apples comparison. Make sure your clients know
that anything latex free in this industry is a premium product when compared
with its latex counterpart.
Your costs are a lot higher. Sometimes you will need to explain to
your clients that the alternatives cost more. To put it into terms that
every one will understand, excluding overhead and other associated costs, to
make a simple three twist dog its going to cost most of us about $1.10 ($1.00
for the minutes worth of time it takes to make, and $0.10 for the
balloon). To make the same three-twist dog from a non-latex alternative
its going to cost you about $8.25 ($7 for the 7 minutes it takes to inflate
and twist, $1.10 for the PVC Bongo and $0.15 for the 3 twist ties used).
That's just shy of an 8 fold increase in your costs to provide an equivalent,
latex free product.
The increased cost should be expected by their budget. If a
location, such as a school or hospital, has gone latex free, you can be fairly
certain that they have a budget set aside for off-setting the additional cost
of providing latex free products to the facility. Ask about tapping this
budget to cover the additional costs.
See if you can offer a hybrid solution. While this is not
always practical to do, depending on the individual situation you may be able
to offer a hybrid solution where you do latex balloons for those without the
allergy, and latex free for those that do. This can be an excellent
selling point when dealing with places of public accommodation where this is a
concern, but you don't have a ban in effect.
Additional Resources
The best resource we have found for latex free balloon products, information
and advice has been Jon Dorsey from the Mr. Balloon Company. As far as we can
find, he is the only balloon artist that specializes in latex free balloons.
Mister Balloon carries most of the product discussed here.
Mr. Balloon Co.
misterballoon@aol.com
http://www.mrballoon.com
(866) 51BLOONS toll free
(310) 628-6127 direct
Useful websites
- Rubber, latex and related products
- Central Elastics FAQ This
FAQ contains a wealth of information on rubber, latex and latex
allergies.
- Latex allergies:
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