Prevalence of skin sensitization and dermatitis among epoxy-exposed workers in the wind turbine industry.

Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0004041 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1365-2133 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00070963 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Br J Dermatol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2023- : Oxford : Oxford University Press
Original Publication: Oxford [etc.] Published for the British Association of Dermatologists by Blackwell Scientific Publications [etc.]

Dermatitis, Occupational*/diagnosis ; Dermatitis, Occupational*/epidemiology ; Dermatitis, Occupational*/etiology ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact*/diagnosis ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact*/epidemiology ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact*/etiology; Humans ; Epoxy Resins ; Prevalence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Patch Tests

Background: A high prevalence of skin sensitization and dermatitis has been reported among workers exposed to epoxy components.
Objectives: To estimate the risk of skin sensitization and dermatitis among workers exposed to epoxy components during production of wind turbine blades while using comprehensive safety measures.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 180 highly epoxy-exposed production workers and 41 nonexposed office workers was conducted at two wind turbine blade factories in Denmark. Participants underwent a skin examination, were tested with a tailored patch test panel including epoxy-containing products used at the factories, and answered a questionnaire.
Results: Sixteen production workers (8·9%) were sensitized to an epoxy component compared with none of the office workers. Skin sensitization was more frequent within the first year of exposed employment. Strong selection bias by atopic status was indicated. Among nonatopic workers, the prevalence of dermatitis was higher among production workers (16·4%) than among office workers [6·5%, odds ratio (OR) 2·3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·6-9·1] and higher among the sensitized workers (43·8%) than the nonsensitized workers (14·6%, OR 4·5, 95% CI 1·6-12·7). Resins based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and F were the most frequent sensitizers. One of the four workers sensitized to epoxy components used at the factories did not react to the epoxy resin of the TRUE test ^® panel.
Conclusions: Despite comprehensive skin protection, sensitization and dermatitis are prevalent among highly epoxy-exposed workers in the wind turbine industry in Denmark. Our findings document the need for intensified preventive efforts and emphasize the importance of tailored patch testing. What is already known about this topic? Epoxy components are well-known sensitizers of the skin. A high prevalence of skin sensitization and dermatitis has been reported among workers exposed to epoxy components. Comprehensive protective equipment is recommended when working with epoxy components. What does this study add? Despite comprehensive skin protection, skin sensitization and dermatitis are prevalent among epoxy-exposed workers. We found that 40% of workers sensitized to epoxy products had dermatitis. Only 75% of the sensitized workers were detected by the epoxy resin of the TRUE test ^® , which emphasizes the importance of tailored testing.
(© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.)

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Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy; 20175100924 The Working Environment Research Fund

0 (Epoxy Resins)

Date Created: 20220816 Date Completed: 20221206 Latest Revision: 20230413

20240829

PMC10087335

10.1111/bjd.21830

35972390