Incidence of chloracne among chemical workers potentially exposed to chlorinated dioxins

Company medical charts were reviewed for 2192 chemical workers who were potentially exposed to chlorinated dioxins during 1940 to 1982 to determine whether they were ever diagnosed as having chloracne. Nearly 16% of the 2072 workers with medical records were found to have been so affected. The incidence of chloracne was noted to have been highest among the youngest workers, and among those who worked in the production of chlorinated phenols rather than with products derived from those materials. Chloracne incidence was found to increase with several measures of intensity and cumulative dose of tetra- and hexa- to octachlorinated dioxins, but these analyses were hampered somewhat by the limitations of both the exposure and medical outcome data.