[Irritation and allergy to acrylates and methacrylates. - Part II: Polyfunctional acrylic monomers (author's transl)]

Acrylates and methacrylates are industrial chemicals with insufficiently known irritating and allergic effects. After considering simples monoacrylates and monomethacrylates, this paper deals with the n-ethyleneglycol acrylates and methacrylates and some polyol polyacrylates and polymethacrylates. All of the diacrylates tested are irritants for humans at 3 p. 100 in olive oil but there is no irritation at 0,1 p. 100. Monomethacrylate and dimethacrylate are not irritants at 3 p. 100 in olive oil. Studies with animals confirm that diacrylates are more irritating than dimethacrylates and the Magnusson and Kligman method shows that the substances induce delayed hypersensitivity. Cross reactions were observed in homogeneous series (diacrylates or dimethacrylates) but not between series. These results are in good agreement with clinical observations. The irritating power of 5 polyacrylates and polymethacrylates of other polyols were tested in animals. For some of them, clinical observations indicate an allergic potential.