A case of allergic contact dermatitis due to nickel in underground water

A 26-year-old Korean woman with nickel allergy continued to have recurrent facial lesions even after avoiding the usual sources of nickel. As another possible source of nickel, underground water at her house, which had been used by her for 3 years, was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Nickel contents in 8 different domestic tap waters and another underground water sample were also measured by plasma scan. Nickel contents in the patient's underground water were 9 times higher on average than those in domestic tap water. Patch tests with 2 concentrated underground water samples gave positive results. The other underground water sample also contained a higher amount of nickel than tap water. Therefore, we suggest that the underground water was a source of our patient's nickel contact dermatitis, and should be considered as a rare but possible source of nickel contact dermatitis.