TRANSIENT REEMERGENCE OF OIL OF TURPENTINE ALLERGY IN THE POTTERY INDUSTRY

Allergy to oil of turpentine has diminished largely due to the use of cheaper substitutes in many occupations. However, 2 particular areas s till reliant on real oil of turpentine are those of the perfume indust ry and ceramic decoration. We report 24 cases of hand dermatitis in po ttery workers involved in ceramic decoration, paintresses, liners, gil ders, enamellers and a fine china painter, seen in a 6-month period fo llowing a change from Portuguese to Indonesian turpentine, of whom 14 were sensitive to Indonesian turpentine, 8 to alpha-pinene, 4 to Delta -3-carene and 2 positive to turpentine peroxides. Previous reports sug gest that Delta-3-carene is the main allergen and reports of sensitivi ty to alpha-pinene in the absence of sensitivity to turpentine peroxid e, in particular to the hydroperoxide of Delta-3-carene, are few Turpe ntine allergy continues to be a problem in the pottery industry and is more common than allergy to the heavy metals of the colours used in c eramic decoration. alpha-Pinene, an unusual allergen, appears to be th e most common in our area. Reversion to Portuguese turpentine seems to have alleviated the problem.