Patch-test Reactions to Plastic and Glue Allergens

Abstract

Plastics and glues are common causes of occupational dermatoses, but only few reports have dealt with patch-test reactions caused by plastic and glue allergens. Patients exposed to plastics and remitted to an occupational dermatology clinic, were patch-tested with 50-53 plastic and glue allergens during a 6-year period. Conventional patch-test techniques were used. The most common causes of allergic patch-test reactions in 360 patients were novolac epoxy resin (5.1%), phenol formaldehyde resin (3.1%), 4-tert-butylcatechol (2.6%), phenyl glycidyl ether (2.6%), diaminodiphenyl methane (2.2%), benzoyl peroxide (2.2%), hexamethylene tetramine (2.0%) and o-cresyl glycidyl ether (1.6%). The allergens that most often elicited irritant patch-test reactions were: benzoyl peroxide (9.5%), abitol alcohol (3.6%), hydroquinone (3.1%), acid-catalyzed phenol formaldehyde resin (2.5%) and toluene diisocyanate (1.9%). Twenty-six out of 53 chemicals caused no allergic reaction during the 6-year period. Plastic allergens in the standard series provoked allergic reactions with formaldehyde (5.8%), diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (3.2%), 4-tert-butylphenol-formaldehyde-resin (1.1%), toluene sulphonamide formaldehyde-resin (1.1%) and triethylenglycol diacrylate (0.4%). Although half of the plastic chemicals gave no allergic patch-test reactions during a 6-year period, with unusual allergens this low yield needs to be accepted, because otherwise rare allergies will not be detected. Also a negative reaction has diagnostic value.

Alopecia areata and Affected Skin CRH Receptor Upregulation Induced by Acute Emotional Stress

“…Stress has been repeatedly documented to play a decisive role in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata [30], as well as in a variety of other skin diseases [31]. We have recently shown that acute immobilization stress led to activation of rodent skin mast cells [16].…”

Stressful Life Events and Skin Diseases: Disentangling Evidence from Myth

“…Muller and Winkelmann [57]observed an association between acute emotional stress and illness onset only in 12% of their large sample of 736 patients. Gupta et al [58]studied 44 patients, of whom 13 had alopecia areata, 3 had alopecia totalis and 28 had alopecia universalis, reporting that 16% believed that stress played an important role in the onset or in the exacerbation of their disease. They also investigated the relationship between life events in the preceding 6 months as measured with the Social Readjustment Rating Scale and the severity of alopecia; they found that more severely affected patients did not differ from less severely affected patients with respect both to the number of life events and subjective rating of distress.…”

Airborne Occupational Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Triglycidyl-<i>p</i>-Aminophenol and Tetraglycidyl-4,4`-Methylene Dianiline in Preimpregnated Epoxy Products in the Aircraft Industry

“…In the first patch test session, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA,1% pet) provoked a weak (?+) reaction in a modified European standard series, and brominated epoxy resin (ER) a 2+ reaction. Plastics and glues [1]except ER compounds, and a series of antimicrobials were negative. The patient was tested with 15 of his ‘own’ compounds used at work, and 13 of them provoked an allergic patch test reaction (fig.…”

“…Epoxies and plastics are well known causes of occupational allergic contact dermatitis [1, 2, 3, 4]. The plastic composite product industry is diverse, and a great variety of processing methods and materials are used.…”