Occupational dermatitis from Synacril Red 3b liquid (CI Basic Red 22)

Foot dermatitis caused by the textile dye Basic Red 46 in acrylic blend socks

17 male subjects are described with foot dermatitis in association with positive patch test reactions to the textile dye Basic Red 46. Chromatographic analysis of the socks of 2 affected patients confirmed the presence of Basic Red 46. Withdrawal of the acrylic blend socks suspected of having been dyed with Basic Red 46 resulted in the improvement of symptoms in 12 of 17 patients (70.6%). However, equivocal or negative patch test results to their own socks were frequently noted in those patients. A highly significant association between the presence of foot dermatitis and a positive Basic Red 46 patch test reaction was noted in 555 patients from a patch test clinic population (P < 0.001). The prevalence of positive patch test reactions to Basic Red 46 was 1.2%. We suggest that patients with foot dermatitis be routinely patch tested for textile dyes. In particular, testing with Basic Red 46 should be considered in those with a history of use of dark-coloured acrylic and/or acrylic blend socks.

Prevalence of contact allergy to non-disperse azo dyes for natural fibers: a study in 1814 consecutive patients

5 non-disperse azo dyes, used for colouring natural fibers, were added to the standard patch test series, as 5% pet. preparations. 1814 consecutive patients attending the patch test clinic were patch tested, of whom 16 (0.88%) reacted to the newly added dyes: 8 to Direct Orange 34, 5 to Acid Yellow 61, 2 to Acid Red 359 and 1 to Acid Red 118. On the basis of clinical history and results of patch tests with pieces of fabrics, contact sensitization to non-disperse azo dyes seemed to be related to the appearance of skin lesions at least in 8 subjects. We conclude that systematic exploration of the sensitizing potential of textile dyes, selected after careful investigation, can provide additional information on the frequency of occurrence of textile dye dermatitis, supporting individual investigation in sensitized subjects.