The author discusses the action of rubber, rubber chemicals and latex on human skin. Attention is devoted in particular to the most serious skin disease, contact allergic eczema. The author mentions the number of occupational diseases diagnosed by the welfare centre for occupational skin diseases at the Dermatological Clinic in Hradec Králové in 1990-1999 caused by hypersensitivity to rubber, most frequently latex gloves. The author mentions also two cases of concurrent skin disease and bronchial asthma with proved hypersensitivity to latex.

        Key words: rubber, latex, allergic contact eczema