[Intradermal metal deposits in an industrial worker]

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Occupational Medicine
• Materials Science

Background:

• A 75-year-old patient presented with asymptomatic grey pigmentation on the face and fingers.
• The patient had a 20-year occupational history of cutting high-voltage cables without protective gear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause of asymptomatic grey pigmentation in a patient with occupational metal exposure.
• To characterize the composition and morphology of dermal deposits.

Main Methods:

• Histopathological examination of skin lesions.
• Two-dimensional micro-synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis (SRXRF) of dermal deposits.
• Identification of elemental composition and distribution patterns.

Main Results:

• Histology revealed dermal deposits in various shapes (horse-shoe, oval, splinter-like) surrounded by macrophages.
• SRXRF analysis identified zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and strontium (Sr) strongly associated with sulfur (S).
• Iron (Fe) distribution differed from other metals, consistent with components of metal wires.

Conclusions:

• This is the first case report detailing intradermal metal deposits identified by SRXRF in dermatological literature.
• The findings link occupational exposure to metal wire components with characteristic skin pigmentation.
• SRXRF is a valuable tool for identifying elemental composition in dermal foreign body reactions.