TY - JOUR

T1 - Prevalence, risk factors, and prevention of occupational contact dermatitis among professional cleaners

T2 - a systematic review

AU - Sedeh, Farnam Barati

AU - Michaelsdóttir, Thorunn Elísabet

AU - Jemec, Gregor Borut Ernst

AU - Mortensen, Ole Steen

AU - Ibler, Kristina Sophie

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and prevention of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD), as well as risk factors and consequences of OCD among professional cleaners. Methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was performed using Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Results: Thirty-nine studies containing over 109.000 participants were included in the review. The prevalence of OCD varied between 2.2% and 30.1%. Main occupational risk factors for developing OCD among cleaners included wet work and irritants in cleaning products (bleach, chlorine, ammonia, multi-use-cleaning) and skin contact to metal. The most common contact allergies included rubber, biocides, nickel/cobalt, and perfumes. Other risk factors were inconsistent use of protective gloves and low educational level. Consequences associated with OCD included significant impairment in quality of life, tendency to have unscheduled absence from work, sick leave, increased rate of disability, and recognized degree of injury. Only one prevention study has been published investigating the effect of an educative course in skin-protective behavior in cleaners. The study reported a higher degree of knowledge of skin protection, a decrease in the severity of hand eczema, and a shift toward fewer daily hand washings at follow-up after 3 months. Conclusion: Our study proves that OCD is common in cleaners, and the main risk factors included wet work, irritants, and contact allergies, as well as inconsistent use of protective gloves and low educational level. More focus and a greater number of studies are needed on skin protection in this population.

AB - Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and prevention of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD), as well as risk factors and consequences of OCD among professional cleaners. Methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was performed using Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Results: Thirty-nine studies containing over 109.000 participants were included in the review. The prevalence of OCD varied between 2.2% and 30.1%. Main occupational risk factors for developing OCD among cleaners included wet work and irritants in cleaning products (bleach, chlorine, ammonia, multi-use-cleaning) and skin contact to metal. The most common contact allergies included rubber, biocides, nickel/cobalt, and perfumes. Other risk factors were inconsistent use of protective gloves and low educational level. Consequences associated with OCD included significant impairment in quality of life, tendency to have unscheduled absence from work, sick leave, increased rate of disability, and recognized degree of injury. Only one prevention study has been published investigating the effect of an educative course in skin-protective behavior in cleaners. The study reported a higher degree of knowledge of skin protection, a decrease in the severity of hand eczema, and a shift toward fewer daily hand washings at follow-up after 3 months. Conclusion: Our study proves that OCD is common in cleaners, and the main risk factors included wet work, irritants, and contact allergies, as well as inconsistent use of protective gloves and low educational level. More focus and a greater number of studies are needed on skin protection in this population.

KW - Cleaners

KW - Contact allergy

KW - Dermatitis

KW - Prevalence

KW - Prevention

KW - Sensitization

U2 - 10.1007/s00420-022-01937-6

DO - 10.1007/s00420-022-01937-6

M3 - Review

C2 - 36409350

AN - SCOPUS:85142383399

VL - 96

SP - 345

EP - 354

JO - International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

JF - International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

SN - 0340-0131

ER -