12-year data on skin diseases in the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases II: Risk occupations with special reference to allergic contact dermatitis.

BACKGROUND

Detailed epidemiological studies on occupational skin diseases (OSDs) are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze risk occupations for OSDs in the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases (FROD).

METHODS

We retrieved numbers of OSD cases (excluding skin infections) for different occupations from the FROD in 2005-2016. In the FROD, Finnish ISCO-08-based classification of occupations was used since 2011, and the preceding ISCO-88-based version until 2010. We combined cases from the earlier and the later period using conversion tables provided by Statistics Finland. We included occupations with at least five cases and analyzed them in detail. We calculated incidence rates for OSDs and separately for allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in different risk occupations using national labor force statistics. We also studied causes of ACD in these occupations.

RESULTS

Risk occupations with the largest number of OSD cases included farmers, hairdressers, assistant nurses, cooks, cleaners, machinists, and nurses. Occupations with the highest incidences of OSDs comprised spray painters (23.8/10 000 person years), bakers (20.4), and dental technicians (19.0). Epoxy compounds and acrylates were prominent causes of ACD in occupations with the highest incidences of ACD.

CONCLUSIONS

Uniform use of International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) would facilitate comparisons of OSD figures in different countries.