Contact dermatitis among decorators and enamellers in hand-made ceramic decorations.

Among 250 craftsmen working in a field, 50 subjects were selected among those usually handling enamels and lacquers for on-glaze firing. They underwent dermatological examination and patch testing with an occupational series. 24 craftsmen were either mono- or polysensitized, with a total of 32 positive patch tests. 14 of the sensitized subjects had a history of contact dermatitis, mostly metal-induced. Dermatitis of the hands and forearms was present only in 3 subjects, who were found to be positive respectively.