Immunologic cross-reactivity between respiratory chemical sensitizers: reactive dyes and cyanuric chloride

CyCl is a low molecular weight reactive chemical used as an intermediate in the production of plastics, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, and fiber-reactive dyes. It is a potent inducer of specific IgE antibody. The CyCl functionality is a structural component of monochlorotriazine and dichlorotriazine dyes.

We have investigated the immunologic cross-reactivity between cyanuric chloride (CyCl) and reactive dyes and it was hypothesized that this moiety might be a dye epitope and that it might stimulate an allergic antibody response in dye-exposed workers.

To test this hypothesis, we have used sera with IgE antibodies to CyCl and also sera from dye-exposed workers who have IgE antibodies to Procion Orange MX2R, an azo dye containing the dichlorotriazine group. As a control group we have used dye-exposed workers with IgE antibody to Remazol Black B, a diazo dye containing the vinyl sulfone-reactive group.

Using RAST and RAST inhibitions, we identified negligible cross-reactivity between CyCl and dichlorotriazine dye.

The results of this study imply that the allergenic moiety on the dye residue resides in the chromophore rather than in the common structural component of CyCl and dichlorotriazine dyes.