Surveillance of occupational skin disease: EPIDERM and OPRA

Consultant dermatologists in the U.K. have been reporting to EPIDERM, a vol untary surveillance scheme for occupational skin disease, since February 19 93; reporting by occupational physicians to the scheme began in May 1994 an d was superseded in January 1996 by OPRA (Occupational Physicians Reporting Activity). Currently 244 dermatologists and 790 occupational physicians re port incident cases to these schemes. During the 6 years to January 1999 a total of 12,574 new cases of occupational skin disease was estimated from r eports by consultant dermatologists and 10,136 cases estimated from occupat ional physicians (since May 1994), The annual incidence of occupational con tact dermatitis using data from both schemes was 12.9 per 100,000 workers, The incidence of contact dermatitis per 100,000 workers increased with age in men from 4.9 (age 16-29 years) to 6.6 (age 45-60 years); in women a high er rate (9.5) was apparent in the younger age group, with lower rates in ol der female workers. High rates in young workers were associated with wet wo rk and in older workers with exposure to oils. For men, high rates of conta ct dermatitis were seen in reports from both schemes for chemical operative s, machine tool setters and operatives, coach and spray painters and metal workers. For women, high rates were found for hairdressers. biological scie ntists and laboratory workers, nurses and those working in catering. The mo st frequent agents for contact dermatitis were rubber chemicals and materia ls (14.1% of cases reported by dermatologists), soaps and cleaners (12.7%), nickel (11.9%), wet work (11.1%), personal protective equipment (6.2%), pe troleum products (6.3%), cutting oils and coolants (5.6%), and epoxy and ot her resins (6.1%). In the 1608 estimated cases of shin cancer all but 4% we re attributed to ultraviolet radiation, Cases of contact urticaria attribut ed to latex peaked in 1996, with a decline in cases since that time.