Impact of occupational dust exposure on dermatologic symptoms among Korean workers

Occupation-related dust exposure is common, especially with increased industrialization. While occupational dust-related health issues caused by inhalation or ingestion have been well studied, only a few studies have examined the dermatologic effects of occupational dust exposure. This study aimed to investigate the association between occupational dust exposure and dermatologic symptoms in Korean workers. Among the large-scale representative data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey, 45,700 workers were selected for study. Occupational dust exposure level was categorized as none, moderate, and severe, and dermatologic symptoms were assessed using a questionnaire on health problems. We analyzed the association between occupational dust exposure and dermatologic symptoms using multivariate logistic regression. Risks of skin problems and work-related skin problems were significantly associated with the level of occupational dust exposure in a dose-dependent manner (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): moderate, 1.51 (1.14-2.01); severe, 2.39 (1.74-3.29) in general skin problems; moderate, 1.72 (1.22-2.42); severe, 3.06 (2.11-4.44) in work-related skin problems). We, thus, demonstrate an association between occupational dust exposure and skin problems. As skin absorption of dust is a major route of dust exposure at the workplace, it is necessary to determine the efficacy of continuous management of occupational dust exposure.