[Dermal exposure to ethylenediamine in the petrochemical industry]

During an examination of 47 workers engaged in ethylenediamine production subjective complaints of the skin were registered in 39% of them. Professional contact allergic dermatitis (26%) prevail over the contact irritative (6.5%) and lead very often to a change of employment for the operators. The epicutanic test with ethylenediamine and diethylene-triamine gives respectively 32 and 20% positiveness with high relative part of latent allergy. At compensated pH of the skin the sample for alkalic neutralization is prolonged in 42.9% of the workers. The ethylenediamine dermal absorption at concentrations in the air of the working area about MAC, is shown with methemoglobinemia registered in 15 operators. The raised methemoglobin in blood could be used with success as indirect test for exposure in hygiene-toxicological studies of workers exposed to ethylenediamine and aliphatic amines.