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Background Skin diseases are the most commonly recognized occupational diseases in Denmark, and occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) comprises ∼95% of all cases. Objectives To prevent occupational contact dermatitis, it is important to specifically identify exposures and work routines related to outbreak of the disease. The aim of this study was to give an overview of exposures for patients with occupational contact dermatitis in Denmark in 2010, and relate this to line of work and disease severity. Material and methods The study was a descriptive, register-based study including patients with recognized occupational contact dermatitis in Denmark in 2010. Data were obtained from the National Board of Industrial Injuries in Denmark, and comprised information about the skin disease as well as the occupation/industry of employment and exposures. Results One thousand five hundred and four patients, 1020 women and 484 men, were included in the study. Irritant contact dermatitis accounted for 70% of all cases; 68% of these were caused by wet work. Forty-six per cent of all patients were employed either in the healthcare sector, in cleaning, or as kitchen workers. Among contact allergies, the most common were to rubber additives from gloves and epoxy in patients employed in the windmill industry. Conclusion The data are important for planning preventive efforts in the future. The workers in the healthcare sector, kitchen workers and cleaners constitute almost half of all cases, and future preventive efforts should be directed at these occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Occupational hand eczema is common in hairdressers, owing to excessive exposure to wet work and hairdressing chemicals. Objectives. To quantify occupational skin exposure and the use of protective gloves among hairdressers in Denmark. Methods. A register-based study was conducted comprising all graduates from hairdressing vocational schools from 1985 to 2007 (n = 7840). The participants received a self-administered postal questionnaire in May 2009, including questions on hairdressing tasks performed in the past week at work and the extent of glove use. A response rate of 67.9% (n = 5324) was obtained. Results. Of the respondents, 55.7% still worked as hairdressers, and they formed the basis of this study. Daily wet work was excessive; 86.6% had wet hands for ≥2 hr, and 54% for ≥ 4 hr. Glove use was fairly frequent for full head hair colouring and bleaching procedures (93-97.7%), but less frequent for highlighting/lowlighting procedures (49.7-60.5%) and permanent waving (28.3%). Gloves were rarely worn during hair washing (10%), although this was more frequently the case after hair colouring procedures (48.9%). Conclusions. Occupational skin exposure was excessive among hairdressers; the extent of wet work and chemical treatments was high, and glove use was inconsistent, especially for certain hair colouring procedures and wet work tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]