Introduction
This topic covers occupational skin diseases (dermatoses): skin disorders caused or worsened by work-related agents, their causes and mechanisms, clinical forms, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, prevention and the medical expertise of work capacity. Occupational contact dermatitis is the most common work-related disease in many countries, so it is the core of this answer.
Definition and classification
An occupational skin disease is a skin disorder that develops as a result of long-term or repeated exposure to risk factors at the workplace, with the work being the main or a significant cause. Skin is the organ most often in direct contact with the environment, which is why it is the most frequently affected organ in occupational pathology.
Etiology
- Physical agents: cold (frostbite, chilblains), heat, ultraviolet and ionising radiation (radiodermatitis, photodermatitis, skin cancer), mechanical friction and pressure (calluses, bursitis-like lesions), and scars after injury.
- Chemical agents and minerals: organic solvents and degreasers, detergents, acids and alkalis, cutting oils, cement (chromium and alkali), epoxy resins, formaldehyde, metals such as nickel and chromium, arsenic, coal tar and pitch, and chlorinated aromatic compounds (chloracne).
- Infections: bacterial (e.g. cutaneous anthrax, erysipeloid in workers handling meat or fish), fungal (dermatophytes in humid work environments), viral (orf and other zoonotic poxviruses, herpetic whitlow in health workers), and parasitic (cercarial dermatitis in water workers).