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Difficulties in using Material S afety D ata S heets to analyse occupational exposures to contact allergens
Author(s) -
Friis Ulrik F.,
Menné Torkil,
Flyvholm MariAnn,
Bonde Jens P. E.,
Johansen Jeanne D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/cod.12314
Subject(s) - allergen , allergic contact dermatitis , allergy , occupational exposure , contact allergy , medicine , contact dermatitis , immunology , medical emergency
Summary Background Information on the occurrence of contact allergens and irritants is crucial for the diagnosis of occupational contact dermatitis. Material S afety D ata S heets ( MSDS ) are important sources of information concerning exposures in the workplace. Objective From a medical viewpoint, to evaluate the information available from MSDS s, and to ascertain whether MSDS are easy to obtain, whether they serve their purpose, and whether they provide sufficient information regarding allergens to enable correct diagnosis. Methods MSDS and ingredients labelling were collected from consecutive patients and reviewed. If it was suspected that the MSDS were incomplete, the manufacturer, supplier, salesperson or workplace was contacted to gather more information. Results Twenty‐five per cent (79/316) of patients provided material for the exposure assessment. One or more shortcomings were found in 18.6% (137/738) of the MSDS . The most frequent shortcoming was ‘ M issing R43 / H317 while known contact allergen was present’, which was observed in 63.1% (84/137). Other shortcomings were ‘ N ames of preservatives not included in section 3 despite containing preservatives’, in 48.9% (67/137), and ‘ N othing about allergy in sections 2, 3, 11, 15 or 16 in the MSDS despite the content of allergens’, in 20.4% (28/137). The information retrieved led to additional testing of 21 patients. Conclusion Systematic exposure assessment is time‐consuming. The main shortcomings are errors/omissions in the MSDS .