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Painters, Lacquerers, and Varnishers in Occupational Dermatology

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Kanerva’s Occupational Dermatology

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Abstract

Paint constituents have changed over time. Lead toxicity from lead in oil-based paints is less common today but may still be a lingering issue in older parts of early cities. Newer water-based paints are safer but more complex and may contain allergy-inducing ingredients including preservatives. Volatile preservatives of the isothiazolinone class are important causes of contact allergy for painters, with the most significant recent culprit being methylisothiazolinone (MI) and others including methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), octylisothiazolinone (OIT), benzisothiazolinone (BIT), and butylbenzisothiazolinone (BBIT). Many other paint components may also be allergenic. Epoxy resins including epoxy hardeners/curing agents may be sensitizers, with resins derived from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA-R) having been considered the most important sensitizer. 1,3-Benzenedimethanamine (1,3-BDMA) – also known as m-xylenediamine (MXDA) – is currently considered a significant sensitizer in epoxy hardeners. Painters are at higher risk of developing allergies to paint components. Chronic exposure to paints by painters and consumers (e.g., residential dwellers) is an important cause of contact dermatitis including airborne contact dermatitis. Risk factors for allergy development in painters include environmental factors such as working conditions (room ventilation, room size, appropriate clothing/gloves), painting technique used (brush vs. roller vs. spray), and painter characteristics (hygiene, painting style, age). Worker education/health promotion and awareness of safety hazards are needed to reduce inadvertent skin/mucous membrane contact with paint components. Anatomical sites for painters with occupational contact dermatitis are most often the hands, followed by the face then the legs. Inhalation of airborne paint droplets can cause respiratory symptoms affecting the nose and lungs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy & Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Rebecca M. Law

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca M. Law & Howard I. Maibach

Authors
  1. Rebecca M. Law
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  2. Howard I. Maibach
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Correspondence to Rebecca M. Law .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Swen Malte John

  2. Department of Dermato-allergology, Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark

    Jeanne Duus Johansen

  3. Dept. of Dermatology and Allergology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Thomas Rustemeyer

  4. Dept. of Dermatology and Allergology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Thüringen, Germany

    Peter Elsner

  5. Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Law, R.M., Maibach, H.I. (2018). Painters, Lacquerers, and Varnishers in Occupational Dermatology. In: John, S., Johansen, J., Rustemeyer, T., Elsner, P., Maibach, H. (eds) Kanerva’s Occupational Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40221-5_178-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40221-5_178-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40221-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40221-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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