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This article describes dermatitis cases from dichloropropane. A woman aged 47 years with no family history of allergy, had previously been a housewife and chairwoman. For 6 years she has worked on the production of various plastic products made of polypropylene, polystyrene, metaplex and bakelite. She had daily contact with three aerosols, Silform AR-I, AR-2 and AR-3. She sprayed them repeatedly in the course of her work on to the mold into which the plastic was poured. After several months of work with Silforms, dermatitis appeared on the right hand only.

The article discusses about few female workers of a microbiology laboratory who complained of allergy from sodium selenate. The epidemic began when one of the female workers spilled a solution of this compound over her foot. After sometime, she observed skin changes on her foot, which were diagnosed as mycosis, confirmed by microscopic examination. This diagnosis failed to reassure the patient as she had read about high toxicity of sodium selenate. This event led to negative emotions in all female workers in the laboratory about harms of the compound. After diagnosis it was actually found to be a case of rosacea.

3 patients with contact urticaria as the only pathological symptom are described, 2 with contact urticaria and other manifestations of hypersensitivity and 3 with immediate reaction to patch-test allergens.

In this study, 333 nurses, 92 dentists and 167 doctors were investigated. Most positive patch tests obtained were unrelated to occupation. Nurses were most often sensitized to penicillins and, of the disinfectants, formaldehyde was the commonest cause of occupational dermatitis. Among dentists, the most common occupational allergens were eugenol and mercuric chloride. Among surgeons, as compared with physicians, there were frequent reactions to mercuric chloride and balsam of Peru, and a higher number of positive patch tests with other contactants. Among those sensitized to chromium, 4 doctors found that contact with chromic catgut was harmful. 6 other doctors were intolerant to surgical gloves. A number of nurses and doctors had an irritant contact dermatitis from chlorhexidine.

An additional set for testing of patients with eczema was prepared. This set comprised 38 compounds, including 12 components of perfumes and food flavours, 12 components of rubber or plastic materials, 9 drugs for external use and 5 other agents. The set was used for testing of 306 patients and in nearly a half of the cases positive results were obtained.

Dermatoses characteristic for several branches of industry: metal, electrotechnical, photochemical and pharmaceutical and for laminators and galvanizers are discussed. The periods are given after which skin changes appear, their primary localisation and the allergens specific for the particular occupations. In photo-chemical industry workers, beside dermatitis. lichen planus was also noted.

Star anise oil in 2 and 1% concentrations produced active sensitization in 5% of test subjects, and positive patch tests in 36 and 34%, respectively, of consecutive patients with dermatitis. A comparison of the results of tests with balsams and other essential oils showed that star anise oil does not give cross-reactions and pseudo cross-sensitivity. Patients positive to this oil are frequently positive to anethole and to other constituents of this oil: alpha-pinene, limonene and safrole. In tests with star anise oil it is noteworthy that a 1% concentration is strongly irritant, and 0.5% reveals sensitivity in only one fifth of the actively sensitized subjects. It is possible that the cause of false negative patch tests might be similar in the case of some other allergens.

447 patients suffering from eczema, occupationally exposed to epoxy resins, have been tested with Epidian 5 and five triethylenetetramine concentrations. By comparing the obtained results with literature data it has been found that in Poland those health damages are characterized by a considerable percentage of those sensitized to triethylenetetramine. The calculation of eczema incubation period and testing the allergen by several allergen concentrations demonstrated that the sensitivity to triethylenetetramine is sometimes very enhanced.

The frequency of positive patch tests to 13 rubber accelerators in Poland was recorded. Of particular interest was the relatively large group of patients positive to several, mostly chemically unrelated, accelerators. The mechanism of this multiple sensitivity is discussed. Positive tests to N-isopropyl-N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine were observed in more than half of the patients reacting to several aromatic amines. Anamnesis indicated that in the case of cross-reactions to many aromatic amines, none of the patients positive to N-isopropyl-N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine had complained of a reaction to rubber products.

Two hundred consecutive patients and 50 subjects positive to balsams were tested with the 35 essential oils most frequently used in Polish cosmetics. The frequency of sensitivity to the particular oils is noted and the index of sensitization calculated as the amount of oil/kg used annually for the production of Polish cosmetics per one patient positive to this oil. The correlation of positive tests to essential oils with positive tests to four balsams of the standard series is shown.

In the report new contact allergens and allergen sources detected in Warsaw in the period 1975-1977 are described. They are divided into 3 groups: industrial allergens, remaining occupational allergens and cosmetics. There are given some data concerning the substances present in industrial oils, hardeners and epoxy resin solvents, drugs sensitizing nurses, several new sources of chromium allergens, essential oils and synthetic flavours. Results obtained with various star anise oil samples are described. Essential oils and synthetic flavours. Results obtained with various star anise oil samples are described. Essential oils and synthetic flavours are discussed as the main allergens in cosmetics.

A diet free of salicylates, benzoates and azo dyes was applied to 158 patients with chronic urticaria. On the basis of the results of this diet, 50 persons were recognized as 'sensitive' to food additives. Psychosomatic examination of the latter patients demonstrated that they do not differ significantly from the remaining ones as regards exacerbations of skin changes by psychological stress. On the other hand, the coexistence of a frustrating situation at the beginning of appearance of skin changes is markedly less frequent in persons 'sensitive' to food additives. Patients are described in whom intolerance to food additives occurred together with hypersensitivity to drugs or some kinds of food.

The period after which skin changes appear is discussed, as well as localisation of their earliest appearance and allergens characteristic for physicians, dentists, nurses, veterinary surgeons and assistants, photographers and hair- dressers . Photographes handling coloured developers were found to be more exposed to dermatosis than those handling black and white ones. Ladies' hair- dressers suffer more frequently than gentelmen 's and nurses coming into contact with antibiotics and disinfectants are more exposed than other nurses.

22 patients with dermatitis from propolis were studied. In all the 21 tests with propolis were positive, and in 19 they were also positive to balsam of Peru. The chromatogram of the balsam and propolis show marked similarity and 3 identical peaks could be recognised in both substances. Among the patients sensitive to balsam of Peru and propolis, 12 were tested with some common components; 3 were positive to cinnamyl cinnamate, 2 to vanillin and 1 to benzyl cinnamate. Chromatograms of the 3 propolis samples from the Warsaw region were very similar, but not identical. Some of the patients were tested with 35 essential oils and eugenol. Sensitivity to clove oil was common.

Herpes simplex and zoster are frequent skin diseases of viral origin and the mechanism of their development as well as their course are not yet fully known. Fully effective methods of treating these diseases are not known. The authors evaluated the results of the externally applied ITCL preparation in the form of a 2% cream. A group of 92 patients was treated, 64 with herpes simplex or recurrent, 16 with zoster, 9 with purulent skin lesions and 3 with verruca plana. Very good results, that is earlier regression of lesions with inhibition of further dissemination, were obtained in 83% of patients with herpes, in over half of the cases of zoster, and in nearly all cases with purulent skin lesions. In most cases the tolerance of the drug was good.

Primary contact sensitivty to m-phenylenediamine was noted in 8 of 182 workers handling this substance as hardener. In these patients the period between the beginning of this work and the appearance of dermatitis was shorter if they became simultaneously sensitive to epoxy resin and/or triethylenetetramine. Moreover from among 150 consecutive patients one was positive to m-phenylenediamine and negative to p-phenylenediamine. From among the selected patients positive to p-phenylenediamine more than 40 per cent were also positive to m-phenylenediamine. A large number of the latter patients were as well positive to o-phenylenediamine. No patients were found who would be positive to o-phenylenediamine and negative to m-phenylenediamine. Nearly all those positive to m- and p-phenylenediamine were also positive to the meta isomers of other aromatic amines.

The paper presents the data on the allergy to chromium in the workers dealing with oils. Single cases of hypersensitivity to additives refining industrial oils, such as triethandamine and hydrazine are described. Gross reactions between triethanolamine and the component of shampoos treithanolamine oxyethylane - sulphate have been demonstrated.