Emulsions bacterial action

Since emulsion and synthetic fluids are potent defatting agents, the skin reaction to them may include maceration, dryness and chapping , reddening, and vesiculation. Bacterial growths in the fluid do not appear to be directly injurious to workers, but rancid fluids and products of bacterial action can lead to skin disorders. As in the case of insoluble oils, both treatment and prevention are based on the control of exposure. Corticosteroid creams may be used as an adjunct in the treatment. The value of barrier creams and other protective gels is not universally accepted but they do offer modest usefulness in certain situations and have been shown to reduce ul-trastructural and cytoarchitectural changes in human epidermis after applications of acetone and kerosene. 

Bacterial action can be of importance in areas such as food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic emulsions, or other systems which contain components subject to biological degradation such as proteins and natural gums. Such systems are obviously of great economic importance, so that a great deal of research has been devoted to the problem. In cases where biological stability is important. 

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