Skin symptoms and contact allergy in woodwork teachers

To estimate the occurrence of skin symptoms and the prevalence of contact allergy to occupational allergens, 84 male woodwork teachers were interviewed, clinically examined and patch tested. The tests included a supplemented European standard series and acetone extracts of wood dust of pine, spruce, juniper and birch. In addition, 10 colophony-allergic volunteers were tested with dilution series of wood dust extracts. Major colophony compounds in the dust extracts were analyzed with gas chromatography. We found a high 1-year period prevalence of generally mild hand eczema: 19%. Contact allergy was diagnosed to several allergens in the working environment, e.g., benzisothiazolin-3-one, nickel, formaldehyde and colophony. A clear relationship between patch test reactions to colophony and to coniferous woods, especially pine, was found. Exposure to wood dust at work caused dermatitis in a colophony-sensitized teacher.