Cutaneous implications of excessive heat in the work-place

6 patients developed a rash while working in a dry battery manufacturing industry. Patch tests showed that clothing accounted for the dermatitis in 5 of the patients. One of them who worked with bitumen had an acneiform eruption and eye irritation. Environmental measurements indicated excessive environmental heat, sweating and maceration as predisposing factors for the development of clothing dermatitis in workers who wore dark coloured uniforms. The working posture also made the anterior abdominal wall highly vulnerable.