ADDITION OF FERROUS SULFATE TO CEMENT AND RISK OF CHROMIUM DERMATITISAMONG CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

Lowering the water-soluble chromium content of cement to <2 ppm has be en suggested to diminish the risk of allergic hand dermatitis caused b y chromium among construction workers. The prevalence of chromium derm atitis was determined for a representative sample of 913 house constru ction workers and 707 concrete element prefabrication workers, with a questionnaire and clinical examination, before the use of cement with such a low content of water-soluble chromium was started on Finnish co nstruction sites in 1987. The prevalence of allergic contact dermatiti s caused by water-soluble chromium, diagnoses confirmed with patch tes ts among the workers with hand dermatitis, was 9/117 (7.7%). 4 of them were new 4/105 (4%) and 5 had been diagnosed earlier. In 1987, the pr evalence of work-related hand dermatitis (allergic and irritant togeth er) was 6.8% among the construction workers and 8.9% among the concret e element prefabrication workers. The Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases was checked for reports of chromium dermatitis and other for ms of hand dermatitis from 1978 to 1992. The results indicated that, a fter 1987, the occurrence of allergic contact dermatitis caused by chr omium decreased to less than 1/3 the previous level, whereas the occur rence of irritant contact dermatitis remained stable throughout the ob servation period. Regardless of some potential confounders, the additi on of ferrous sulfate to cement during the production process may have reduced the number of cases of allergic contact dermatitis among cons truction and concrete element prefabrication workers. Our results agre e with the results of Danish studies and Swedish observations. (C) Mun ksgaard, 1996.