Contact
allergy to
nickel is a large dermatological problem affecting 10-15% of women and 1% of men in the general population. The aim of this study was to illustrate the significance of occupational
nickel exposure in men. Patch testing was carried out to identify patients with
nickel allergy and the
dimethylglyoxime test was used to identify sources of
nickel exposure. 8% of the men and 30% of the women were patch-test positive to
nickel. Most of the patients had hand
eczema, and a few had facial
eczema. Tools and equipment used in different jobs by workers such as carpenters, electricians, painters, and plumbers were often found to cause
nickel release. Black-
nickel plating is used for optical equipment while cold-sealing of
aluminium with
nickel is a method of treating anodized
aluminium. Both black-
nickel and cold-sealed
aluminium were found to be unexpected causes of
dermatitis due to
nickel release. Sources of occupational
nickel exposure are often missed by dermatologists, due to lack of knowledge. Occupational
nickel exposure is however important to identify, and the
dimethylglyoxime test is a helpful tool.