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Hand Eczema in the Construction Industry

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Abstract

Skin irritants that cause occupational hand eczema in bricklayers, tile setters, construction workers, and others working in the building trade are cement, acidic cleaning agents, and detergents. Contact allergens of increasing importance are components of epoxy resin systems: basic resins, reactive diluents, and amine hardeners. Usage of chromate-reduced cement has significantly decreased the frequency of allergic contact eczema due to chromate allergy. Cobalt, which is also contained in cement, frequently leads to secondary sensitization in chromate-allergic individuals. Last but not least, another common group of occupational contact allergens in this trade is rubber allergens, such as thiurams and mercaptobenzothiazole derivatives. Improvement in working hygiene and usage of adequate protective gloves are the most important approaches to prevent hand eczema in the construction industry.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK), University of Goettingen, von-Siebold-Str. 3, Goettingen, 37075, Germany

    Johannes Geier M.D.

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  1. Johannes Geier M.D.
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Correspondence to Johannes Geier M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Ali Alikhan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Marie Lachapelle

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Geier, J. (2014). Hand Eczema in the Construction Industry. In: Alikhan, A., Lachapelle, JM., Maibach, H. (eds) Textbook of Hand Eczema. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_20

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