Background: Housekeepers are exposed to irritants and allergens in their work and are at significant risk for developing occupationally induced contact dermatitis.
Objective: We studied housekeepers at the Hershey Medical Center to determine the cause and frequency of contact dermatitis and contact urticaria in these workers.
Methods: All housekeepers were examined. Those with hand dermatitis had an extensive history, patch testing, and latex RAST testing.
Results: Eight of 130 had hand dermatitis. None had a relevant positive patch test or positive RAST test.
Conclusions: Of our housekeepers, 6.2% had occupationally induced irritant contact dermatitis. None had allergic contact dermatitis or contact urticaria to latex.