The Chief Executive Officer,
Boots
1 Thane Road West,
Nottingham
NG2 3AA

Dear Sir,
Some time ago, I wrote to Mr Steve Duncan to complain about latex balloons in your main Nottingham store.   My wife had become ill after entering the store.   She did not go into anaphylactic shock but did  have a serious reaction.

Yesterday, my wife, who suffers from the Type 1 latex allergy, went into your new store at the Victoria Retail Park, Netherfield.   She collapsed suffering anaphylactic shock and I had to administer adrenalin and call an ambulance and she spent the rest of the day in the Queens Medical Centre.   The store was full of latex balloons.

As you are probably aware, the Health and Safety Executive have declared latex to be a substance dangerous to health.   Therefore, under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, 2002, an assessment should be undertaken before such a substance is used.  

I wonder if you can tell me if such an assessment was undertaken before this huge number of balloons was put in the store?

Furthermore, The Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 places a duty upon you to keep employees and others healthy and safe.   By allowing large numbers of latex balloons to be displayed in the store, you have clearly failed in this responsibility.
I have enclosed some information from the internet on this subject for you perusal.   While much of this refers to latex gloves, latex balloons are, in fact, more dangerous than gloves as balloons are powdered to prevent them becoming sticky.   Powdered gloves have been banned.   The powder becomes airborne and can then be inhaled by allergic individuals to their extreme detriment.   This can also have an effect upon ordinary individuals and can cause them to become allergic to latex.

I am the administrator of the Latex Allergy Support Group Forum and I know from this forum that I am not the only person to have made complaints of this nature in the past.   In fact there is a thread on the forum specifically about Boots.

Last night I received a phone call from a member of your staff.   The young lady was most apologetic and assured me that the balloons would be removed and would not be replaced.   I checked this morning and there were no balloons on display.

However, I feel that as you have been warned about this problem on a number of previous occasions, I have no alternative but to seriously consider legal action.   I would, therefore, be obliged if you would let me have the name and address of your company secretary.

Yours faithfully