title: Patch testing with components of water-based metalworking fluids.
abstract: Water-based metalworking fluids (MWFs) may cause both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. Several well-known MWF allergens are available for patch testing, but considering the wide variety of possible components used in MWF, our diagnostic arsenal covers only a small part of potential allergens. We therefore selected 13 frequently used MWF components that might be sensitizers and had not yet been tested routinely. In 5 centres, 233 dermatitis patients with present or past occupational exposure to MWF were patch tested with this and other panels. Only 7 patients showed positive reactions to the study panel. Allergic reactions to the emulsifier diglycolamine [syn. 2-(2-aminoethoxy) ethanol] were seen in 5 patients, and 1 patient each reacted positively to 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol (AEPD) and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA). Clinical relevance of the reactions to diglycolamine was unequivocally proven by its presence in the MWF from the patients' workplace in 3 cases. Diglycolamine seems to be an important MWF allergen, independently from monoethanolamine and diethanolamine. A test concentration of 1% petrolatum (pet.) appears to be appropriate. The importance of AEPD and MDEA as MWF allergens still remains to be established. The lack of positive test reactions to the other MWF components tested may be due to their low-sensitizing potential or too low a patch test concentration being used.
authors.affiliation: Informationsverbund Dermatologischer Kliniken, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. jgeier@med.uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geier
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lessmann
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Frosch
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pirker
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aschoff
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Uter
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schnuch
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007509:Irritants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D010328:Patch Tests
chemical_list: D007509:Irritants; D009821:Oils