At the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, health care
workers began using powdered latex gloves to control the spread
of infection. Over time, research linked both natural latex and
powder to a high rate of allergies among health care
professionals. Manufacturers responded by producing powder-free
and synthetic latex gloves, which led to a dramatic reduction in
the problem. Dr. Ahmed Arif hopes he and others will have a
similar impact on workplace safety related to cleaning products
and asthma. The associate professor of epidemiology is a leading
expert on these topics related to health care workers. "We’re in
the early stages," he said. Arif arrived at UNC Charlotte in
2007 from Texas Tech’s School of Medicine in Lubbock, Texas to
teach courses in epidemiology, public health and environmental
health in the department of public health sciences. He has
studied occupational exposures and respiratory morbidity,
respiratory morbidity among children and the elderly and chronic
disease epidemiology. "My in