Occupational exposure to metallic cobalt in a baker

Contamination of skin and surfaces by cobalt in the hard metal industry

“…As we were actively looking for cobalt-contaminated surfaces expected to come into contact with skin, the frequency of positive spot test results is probably not representative of all surfaces in the facilities. The cobalt spot test has not previously been used to systematically track sources of cobalt contamination in industrial settings, but rather to investigate cobalt release from jewellery, laptop computers, and toys, and in clinical cases with suspected occupational exposure [19][20][21][22][23]. Our use of the cobalt spot test proved it to be a valuable indicative tool showing that skin may be contaminated from multiple sources, not only the production materials.…”