Contact dermatitis of the hands is common in workers
in the horticultural industry.1
"
3
Risk factors include plant
materials, pesticides, wet work and intensive contact with
soil, skin cleansers and many products used for the maintenance
of machinery and buildings.
Allergic contact dermatitis by Alstroemeria is wellknown.4
"
7
Tulipalin A (a-methylene-y-butyrolactone) has
been identified as the responsible allergen.8
"
10
Little is
known about the prevalence of contact dermatitis among
Alstroemeria growers, although the popularity and economical
importance of Alstroemeria is still increasing, due
to its natural beauty, wide variety in colour and long
storage life.
Bruynzeel et al.s
determined the prevalence of hand
dermatitis in the flower-bulb industry; in this study, a distinction
was made between major and minor dermatitis.
A significant difference was found in prevalence of minor
dermatitis between flower-bulb workers and a control
population (30% and 8%, respectively), whereas no difference
(11% and 10%, respectively) was found in the
prevalence of major dermatitis between both populations.
This suggests that minor dermatitis symptoms are abundant
among horticulture workers
The aim of the present study was to determine the
prevalence of hand dermatitis in workers of Alstroemeria
cultivation, to determine how many workers have been
sensitized by tulipalin A and to take stock of a wide range
of determinants of hand dermatitis.