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Type IV allergy to rubber additives: a 10-year study of 686 cases
L Conde-Salazar1, E del-Río, D Guimaraens
1Division of Occupational Dermatology, National Institute of Occupational Medicine, Madrid, Spain.
Background:
Rubber additives, mainly vulcanizers and antioxidants, are increasingly a cause of contact dermatitis.
Objective:
The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of type IV allergy to rubber additives.
Methods:
Seven thousand patients seen during a 10-year period were evaluated. Of them, 4680 were patch tested with the standard series recommended by the Spanish Group for Research of Contact Dermatitis (GEIDC) and a series of individual rubber additives.
Results:
A total of 686 patients (14.7% of those patch tested) had one or more positive reactions to rubber additives. Of these, 582 (84.8%) were men and 104 (15.2%) were women. The incidence of rubber sensitization was especially high among construction workers (47.0%).
Conclusion:
Rubber additives are a common cause of occupational contact dermatitis, particularly in construction workers. We postulate that rubber gloves and boots (utilized to avoid contact with sensitizing substances) themselves may be a common cause of contact dermatitis. The high incidence of allergy to some rubber additives, such as thiurams and carbas, indicates that their replacement by other less sensitizing vulcanizers is advisable.