Recommendation to include a textile dye mix in the European baseline series.

Background: Disperse dyes are common sensitizers, but are not currently included in the European baseline series.
Objectives: To justify the inclusion of a textile dye mix in the European baseline patch test series.
Methods: A survey of the reported frequencies of contact allergy to textile dyes and textile dye mixes was performed by searching PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov.ludwig.lub.lu.se/pubmed, last accessed 14 December 2014). The results from a multicentre study performed within the European Environmental Contact Dermatitis Research Group (EECDRG) and published in 2014 formed the final basis for the recommendation.
Results: The EECDRG study performed in Europe and the United States showed that 2.1-6.9% of consecutively tested dermatitis patients reacted to a 6.6% wt/wt textile dye mix consisting of eight disperse dyes. The clinical relevance was ascertained in >30% of the positive cases. A high frequency of simultaneous sensitivity to Disperse Orange 3 (DO 3) and p-phenylenediamine (PPD) was seen. Active sensitization to the mix was not noted.
Conclusions: It is recommended to include a 6.6% textile dye mix consisting of eight disperse dyes in the European baseline series, even though one component, DO 3, may be superfluous, owing to its frequent cross-reactivity with PPD. Removal of DO 3 from the mix would need further study.
(© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)