NEW KNOWLEDGE IN ALLERGY TO WOOL WAX ALCO HOLS

After patch testing of several groups of patients we analyzed the deve lopment of contact allergy to wool wax alcohols and emulsifying fatty alcohols in the last years. For identifying the allergens we used high purified n-alcanols of the chain length of C-8 to C20, lanosterol and aliphatic diols. We found no reaction to cetyl and stearyl alcohol at all - the main allergens in literature. Most of the patch test reacti ons were caused by n-alcanols of C10H21OH to C15H31OH, but also by lan osterol and aliphatic diols. Alcohols of the chain length C-12 and C-1 4 we found in all gaschromatographically analyzed samples. Therefore w e like to propose allergenfree emulgators for patients on risk.