Occupational contact dermatitis: Chefs and food handlers

Abstract

Chefs and food handlers are at high risk of developing occupational skin diseases. Incidence rates per 10,000 workers per year range from 2.9 (butchers/food processing industries) and 6.6 (cooks) to 23.9 (pastry cooks) and 33.2 (bakers). Irritant contact dermatitis is the most prevalent occupational disease in chefs and food handlers, followed by allergic contact dermatitis (most frequently due to compositae (food), thiurams (gloves) and formaldehyde (detergents and disinfectants)). Food handling occupations are also prone to IgE-mediated protein contact dermatitis and immunological (IgE-mediated) and non-immunological occupational contact urticaria. Some food and food additives can trigger several of these mechanisms independently and may induce different clinical pictures. The prerequisite for a successful treatment is the individual identification and exclusion of the disease eliciting allergen(s), as well as implementation of skin protection. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.