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A review of non‐glove personal protective equipment‐related occupational dermatoses reported to EPIDERM between 1993 and 2013
Author(s) -
Bhoyrul Bevin,
Lecamwasam Kamalini,
Wilkinson Mark,
Latheef Faheem,
Stocks Susan J.,
Agius Raymond,
Carder Melanie
Publication year - 2019
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.13177
Subject(s) - medicine , irritant contact dermatitis , personal protective equipment , contact dermatitis , dermatology , allergic contact dermatitis , contact urticaria , hand eczema , occupational medicine , incidence (geometry) , acne , occupational exposure , allergy , surgery , disease , medical emergency , covid-19 , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , physics , optics , immunology
Background Personal protective equipment (PPE) is defined as equipment that protects the wearer’s body against health/safety risks at work. Gloves cause many dermatoses. Non‐glove PPE constitutes a wide array of garments. Dermatoses resulting from these have hitherto not been documented. Objectives To determine the incidence and types of non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses. Patients/Methods We analysed incident case reports from dermatologists of non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses to a UK‐wide surveillance scheme (EPIDERM) between 1993 and 2013. Results The dermatoses associated with non‐glove PPE accounted for 0.84% of all occupational skin disease. Of all PPE‐related cases, 194 (9.2%) were attributable to non‐glove PPE. Of these, 132 (68.0%) occurred in men, and the median age (both male and female) was 42 years (range 18‐82 years). The non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses were diagnosed as: allergic contact dermatitis (47.4%), irritant contact dermatitis (16.0%), friction (11.3%), occlusion (11.3%), unspecified dermatitis (8.8%), acne (3.1%), infections (1.5), and contact urticaria (0.52%). The industries most associated with non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses were manufacturing (18.6%), public administration and defence (17.0%), health and social work (15.5%), and transport, storage, and communication (9.8%). Conclusions Clothing, footwear, facemasks and headgear need to be recognized as causes of dermatoses occurring at body sites less commonly associated with occupational skin disease.