Industrial Dermatitis Prevention in a Plating Shop 1950 UK Ministry of Labour

Some employees can also develop an allergic skin reaction, called allergic contact dermatitis. This occurs from handling liquids or solids containing hexavalent chromium. Once an employee becomes allergic, brief skin contact causes swelling and a red, itchy rash that becomes crusty and thickened with prolonged exposure. Allergic contact dermatitis is long-lasting and more severe with repeated skin contact. Direct skin contact with hexavalent chromium can cause a non-allergic skin irritation. Contact with non-intact skin can also lead to chrome ulcers. They heal slowly and leave scars. Some chrome compounds are now lined with cancer also. Employees can inhale airborne chromium as a dust, fume or mist while working near chrome plating operations. Breathing in high levels of chromium can cause irritation to the nose and throat. Symptoms may include runny nose, sneezing, coughing, itching and a burning sensation. Repeated or prolonged exposure can cause sores to develop in the nose and result in nosebleeds. If the damage is severe, the nasal septum (wall separating the nasal passages) develops a hole in it (perforation). For more about chrome read the OSHA factsheet at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/hexavalent_chromium.pdf . Two very good sites for more information on industrial dermatitis are the NIOSH website at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/skin/#contact and the British HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/skin/ . This is clipped from the 1950 film Industrial Dermatitis made by the UK Ministry of Labour. The entire film covers methods of prevention and cure of industrial dermatitis, as shown through the work of a new Medical Officer at a factory where the disease is prevalent. Proper preventative measures (such as protective clothing, control of harmful fumes, and, above all, through cleanliness) are coupled with patient curative treatment, including a correct psychological approach, and the incidence of the disease is greatly reduced. The entire film is available at the Wellcome Library at http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/index.html .

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