Can pre-employment patch testing help to prevent occupational contact allergy?

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Occupational Health
• Allergology

Background:

• The pharmaceutical industry is considered an occupational setting with a risk for developing contact sensitization.
• Pre-employment examinations are crucial for identifying potential health risks in new employees.
• Baseline skin health assessment is important before employment in specific industries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of contact sensitization in subjects undergoing pre-employment examinations in the pharmaceutical industry.
• To identify common allergens responsible for positive patch test reactions in this cohort.
• To assess the risk of occupational contact dermatitis in pharmaceutical industry employees.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 175 subjects (157 female, 18 male) without prior contact dermatitis or hand eczema history were patch tested.
• A standard series of allergens from Epipharm Allergy Service was used for patch testing.
• Reactions were assessed to identify positive responses to single or multiple contact allergens.

Main Results:

• Twelve subjects (7%) exhibited positive patch test reactions.
• Seven subjects reacted to a single contact allergen, while five reacted to multiple allergens.
• Prevalence of reactions to metal salts (nickel, cobalt, chromium) was 2.9%, and to rubber additive mixtures was 2.9%.

Conclusions:

• A notable percentage of individuals entering the pharmaceutical industry exhibit pre-existing contact sensitization.
• Metal salts and rubber additives are significant contact allergens in this occupational group.
• Pre-employment screening for contact sensitization is valuable in high-risk industries like pharmaceuticals.