COMPARISON OF PATCH TEST-RESULTS IN 2 ADJACENT AREAS OF ENGLAND .1. (INDUSTRIAL ALLERGENS)

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 59  (85) , 189-192
Abstract
A 3 yr study of patch test reactions to the Standard European Battery was carried out in 2 adjacent areas of southeast England with the same climatic and cultural background. Source of materials and method of testing were identical; both observers had worked together in the same Contact Dermatitis department and interpretation of reactions can therefore be considered consistent. The main differences between the 2 areas lay in the pattern of employment and of local medication prescribed. The first was examined here. One area was dominated by the automobile industry, the other by the furniture industry, with important subsidiary rubber, foam and electronics factories. The pattern that emerged showed that patch test reactions to the Standard European Battery were more likely to be related to environmental allergens and medication usage than to industrial hazards. Chrome dermatitis was less common than elsewhere in Europe but Ni sensitivity showed the same pattern. Rubber chemical sensitivity reflected industrial, as well as domestic usage. Colophony and formaldehyde appeared to have less industrial significance than expected. Special additional industrial allergens were not considered here but were of particular importance in the furniture industry. Although the numbers analyzed were relatively small, they apparently reflect the pattern to be expected in areas of relatively low industrial risk in Great Britain at the present time.

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