Epidemiological assessment of the occurrence of allergic dermatitis in workers in the construction industry related to the content of Cr(VI) in cement

During the last 20-30 years, a decline in the occurrence of notified cases of cement dermatitis has been reported from many countries. There has been much debate over the causes of this decline. Some countries have since the 1980s had legislation which regulates the concentration of the chromium in the cement by adding ferrous sulphate and the reported decline have been attributed to this measure. It is also claimed that changes like use of prefabricated cement elements, less manual work in the construction industry and improved hygienic conditions and use of preventive measures (for example use of gloves) may have lead to a decrease, both of cement dermatitis and of the chromium allergy among workers in the construction industry. If fewer workers during the last years have been engaged in the construction industry compared to previous years, this will also influence trends based on the annual notifications of cement dermatitis to a national register. For instance, in France, a downward trend in the notification of the cement dermatitis has been reported, although no ferrous sulphate has been added to the cement in this country (Thomassen 2003, personal communication. Based on data from Caisse Nationale d’Assurance Maladie, France). On this background, [...]