Epoxy allergy, investigation of a modern industry

Background: Five workers from an industry manufacturing various articles from carbon fibre reinforced epoxy plastics were referred to our department because of suspected occupational allergic contact dermatitis (OACD). When patch tested, four of them had positive reactions to components of epoxy resin systems (ERSs) that could explain their current skin problems. All of them had been working at the same workstation at a specially designed pressing machine, with operations including manually mixing epoxy resin with hardener. Multiple cases of OACD in the plant prompted an investigation including all workers with possible risk exposures at the plant. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of occupational dermatoses and contact allergies among the workers at the plant. Materials and Methods: Totally 25 workers underwent investigation that included a brief consultation with a standardized anamnesis and clinical examination followed by patch testing. Results: ERSs-related reactions were found in 7 of the 25 investigated workers. None of the seven had a history of previous exposure to ERSs and they are regarded as sensitized through work. Conclusions: Twenty-eight percent of investigated workers showed reactions to ERSs. Of these the majority would have been missed if supplementary testing would not have been added to testing with the Swedish base line series.