Occupational Contact Dermatitis in North American Print Machine Operators Referred for Patch Testing: Retrospective Analysis of Cross-Sectional Data From the North American Contact Dermatitis Group 1998 to 2014.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the epidemiology of contact dermatitis (CD) in print machine operators (PMOs).


OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of CD and characterize clinically relevant and occupationally related allergens among PMOs undergoing patch testing.


METHODS
This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group data from 1998 to 2014.


RESULTS
Of 39,332 patch-tested patients, 132 (0.3%) were PMOs. Among PMOs, most were male (75.0%) and white (92.4%). The majority were printing press operators (85.6%). The most frequent sites of dermatitis were hands (63.6%), arms (29.5%), and face/scalp (24.2%). More than half had an occupationally related skin condition (56.1%). Final diagnoses were most commonly allergic CD (58.3%) and irritant CD (33.3%). Cobalt (20.8%), carba mix (12.5%), thiuram mix (8.3%), and formaldehyde (8.3%) were the most frequent occupationally related allergens. The top allergen sources included inks (22.9%), gloves (20.8%), and coatings/dye/copy/photographic chemicals (14.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
Allergic CD, irritant CD, and involvement of exposed body areas were common among PMOs. Common allergens included rubber accelerators, metals, and preservatives.
From the *HCMC Parkside Occupational and Contact Dermatitis Clinic and Department of Dermatology, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and †Department of Dermatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis; ‡Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY; §Division of Dermatology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ∥Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco; ¶Department of Dermatology, University of Cincinnati, OH; #Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; **Division of Dermatology, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; ††Ohio State University, Columbus; ‡‡University of Louisville, KY; §§Associates in Dermatology, Fort Myers, FL; ∥∥Department of Dermatology, Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California, Los Angeles; ¶¶Department of Dermatology, Pennsylvania State University, State College; ##Division of Dermatology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and ***Department of Dermatology, Cleveland Clinic, OH.
Erin M
EM
Warshaw
Solveig L
SL
Hagen
Donald V
DV
Belsito
Joel G
JG
DeKoven
Howard I
HI
Maibach
C G Toby
CGT
Mathias
Kathryn A
KA
Zug
Denis
D
Sasseville
Matthew J
MJ
Zirwas
Joseph F
JF
Fowler
Anthony F
AF
Fransway
Vincent A
VA
DeLeo
James G
JG
Marks
Melanie D
MD
Pratt
James S
JS
Taylor
D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001870:Book Industry; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007281:Ink; D008297:Male; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D010328:Patch Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011327:Printing; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D000078329:Workforce
D000485:Allergens