Chromate allergy

Diepgen TL, Schmidt A, Fartasch M Epidemiology of occupational dermatoses in North Bavaria. Contact Dermatitis Fabry H (1981) Statistik der Berufskrankheiten der Haut-gefahrdungskataster. Dermatosen 29 42-44 Farm A (1986) Changing patterns in chromate allergy. Contact Dermatitis 15 298-299... 

Lachapelle JM, Lauwerys R, Tennstedt D, Andanson J, Benezra C, Chabeau G, Ducombs G, Foussereau J, Lacroix M, Martin P (1980) Eau de Javel and prevention of chromate allergy in France. Contact Dermatitis 6 107-110... 

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis to chromates in cement has been reported to persist even upon avoidance of cement. Burrows reported that only 8% of his patients with cement dermatitis had clearance of their dermatitis after a 10- to 13-year follow-up (Burrows 1972). In Sydney, the prognosis from occupational allergic contact dermatitis from chromate was worse than those caused by other occupational allergens only less than 20% of such patients had clearance of their dermatitis over a 2- to 10-year follow-up period (Rosen and Freeman 1993). Another study from Perth, Australia, also reported poor prognosis from cement dermatitis, where 89% of cement workers with chromate allergy had persistent dermatitis when followed up over a period between 6 months and 9 years (Halbert et al. 1992). 

In Denmark, follow-up of patients with chromate allergy after the introduction of ferrous sulphate in Danish cement to reduce hexavalent chromate concentration in cement continued to show poor prognosis. Only 30% of workers who remained on the job had total clearance of their dermatitis (Avnstorp 1989). 

Goh CL, Gan SL (1996) Change in cement manufacturing process, a cause for decline in chromate allergy Contact Dermatitis... 

Cement, of course, is by far the most common and best-recognised cause of chromate allergy. Cement contains varying amounts of chromate for instance, Ellis and Freeman (1986) found water-soluble cement in Australia to vary from less than 1 ppm to 124 ppm, with the majority tested showing less than 10 ppm. Cement, on the addition of water, becomes alkaline and is probably a factor in facilitating sensitization to the chromate in cement. This may be the reason why cases of contact dermatitis due to allergy to chromate... 

The incidence of chromate allergy in footwear dermatitis varies in different studies. Trivalent chromate is used hence, the sensitization potential is low. Nevertheless, chromate allergy should always be considered in shoe dermatitis and possibly even as a factor in hand dermatitis due to wearing leather gloves. Chromate is used in leather for other purposes than tanning, e.g. water-repellent trivalent chromium stearate chloride or stain-repellent trivalent chromium and fluorinated carboxylic acids, or as a dye. In those carrying out tanning, the sensitization risk is increased... 

Clemmensen et al. (1981) suggested that contact with ashes in cigarette trays could be an explanation of some cases of chromate allergy in females. The ashes contain a relatively high amount of chromate, and the cloths used to wipe these by cleaners would contain an increasing concentration of chromate as the day went on. 

Chromate allergy in the cement industry is diminishing throughout the world whether ferrous sulphate is added or not. 

Freeman S (1995) Chromate allergy from antifireeze-antiboil . Australas J Dermatol 36 168... 

Goh CL, Wong PH, Kwok SF, et al. (1986b) Chromate allergy total chromium and hexavalent chromium in the air. Derm Beruf Umwelt 34 132-134... 

Chromate has been used as a preservative for milk that is to be analyzed for quality-control purposes. Several reports document chromate allergy in milk testers and in milk analysis laboratories [129, 175, 176]. 

Karasek SR, Karasek M (1911) Preliminary report of the injurious effect of metal, platinum, chromates, cyanides, hydrofluoric acid, and of materials used in silvering mirrors. Report the Illinois State Conunission on Occupational Disease Karol MH, Alarie YC (1980) Antigens which detect IgE antibodies in workers sensitive to toluene di-isocyanate. Clin Allergy 10 101... 

Wass U, Wahlberg JE (1991) Chromated steel and contact allergy. Recommendation concerning a threshold limit... 

It was demonstrated that iron sulfate added to cement reduced the chromate completely and trivalent chromium was precipitated (Fregert et al. 1979). An amount of 0.35% iron sulfate is enough to reduce 20 pg Cr /g cement. In Denmark, the incidence of chromium allergy among cement workers, after addition of iron sulfate to the cement, has decreased. For details see Chap. 71. 

Gloves of polymer materials are necessary for use in the treatment of patients and by those employees with known allergy to latex proteins. Such gloves reduce the risk of contact dermatitis caused by rubber additives and contact urticaria caused by latex proteins. Gloves of polymer materials are also necessary for use by those employees with a known allergy to chromate in leather gloves. 

Construction workers risk occupational contact dermatitis from exposure to irritants, chromate, cobalt, rubber and epoxy. Nickel allergy, however, is not often discussed in relation to construction work (Coenraads et al. 1984). In construction workers it is often found together with allergy to chromate and/or cobalt, and nickel in cement has been proposed as a cause. However, nickel in cement exists mainly as insoluble salts (Wahlberg et al. 1977 Goh et al. 1986). 

Printing was a relatively common source of allergy to chromate (Burrows 1983) however, with the use of acrylates, this has become infrequent. 

Photosensitivity has been suggested as a factor in chrome allergy, if only because many patients have their dermatitis on the exposed areas. This might be expected in a substance that is a potential airborne allergen (El Sayed and Bazex 1994)- Goh (1986a), however, found little chromate in the atmosphere of a Singapore cement construction factory and a busy city center. 

Contact allergy to cobalt is common and is often associated with concomitant allergy to nickel or chromate (Chaps. 66, 67). This is interpreted as simultaneous sensitization due to combined exposure, because nickel is often contaminated with cobalt, and cement contains chromium as well as cobalt. Solitary cobalt allergy is seen mainly among hard-metal workers (Chap. 68) and in the glass and pottery industries. 

Fregert S, Rorsman H (1966) Allergy to chromium, nickel and cobalt. Acta Derm Venereol 46 114-118 Fregert S, Gruvberger B, Sandahl E (1979) Reduction of chromate in cement by iron sulfate. Contact Dermatitis 5 39-42 Fullerton A, Gammelgaard B, Avnstorp C, Menne T (1993) Chromium content in human skin after in vitro application of ordinary cement and ferrous-sulfate-reduced cement. Contact Dermatitis 29 133-137... 

A few reports of contact allergy to non-amine hardeners have been published in the case of dicy-andiamide (Senff et al. 1988), dodecenyl succinic anhydride (Goransson 1977), methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (Kanerva et al. 1997), hexavalent chromate, an accelerator additive (Handley and Burrows 1994 Bruze et al. 1996) and polysulfides (Bruze et al. 1996). 

Bernard S, Baeck M, Tennstedt D, Haufroid V, Dekeuleneer V. Chromate or titanium allergy - the role of impurities Contact Dermatitis 2013 68(3) 191-2. 

Engler, R.J., Weber, C.B. and Tumicky, R. (1986) Hypersensitivity to chromated catgut sutures a case report and review of the literature, Ann. Allergy 5,317-320. 

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