Cutaneous Hazards in the Citrus Fruit Industry

Air oxidation increases skin irritation from fragrance terpenes

“…R ‐Limonene is known to cause irritancy in high concentrations in humans and animals (18, 19). Irritant contact dermatitis among workers in citrus fruit canning industries is reported in literature (20–22). In humans, non‐ox.…”

Lime dermatitis from gin and tonic with a twist of lime

“…The presence of psoralens in citrus fruits usually causes dermatoses of a phototoxic nature. Allergic contact dermatitis due to citrus fruit is more unusual, although it has been reported in cooks, bakers, bartenders (1, 2) and persons involved in citrus growing and packaging (3). We report a case of allergic contact dermatitis to limes which our patient enjoyed sucking after finishing her gin and tonic.…”

Plants and Plant Products

“…However, a number of psoralencontaining plants may also sensitize as a result of other compounds that they contain. For example, citrus oils are generally weakly allergenic but they are also irritant and some are phototoxic [327]. Similarly, carrots (Daucus carota L., family Umbelliferae) have sensitized workers in the canning industry [328][329][330], but there is no convincing evidence that they may elicit phototoxic reactions, although weak phototoxicity has been observed experimentally [331].…”