Hand eczema among hard-metal workers.

Seven hundred seventy-six of 800 workers in a hard-metal factory were investigated. The prevalence of hand eczema and irritant reactions of the hands was 10% and 15% respectively. Of 1,006 workers who had left the industry during the previous ten years, 87 had had hand eczema. The cumulative incidence of hand eczema for these ten years was estimated to be 17%. Fifty-two percent of the hand eczemas and 67% of the irritant reactions started during the first year of work. The majority of both the hand eczemas and the irritant reactions first appeared in grinding activities. Wet grinding and oil grinding entailed the highest risks of hand eczema. Hand eczema was significantly more common in individuals with an atopic background. Eighteen percent of the individuals with present or previous hand eczema had positive patch-test reactions. Positive patch tests were equally common among individuals with irritant reactions and those with normal skin.