Abstract
Metals like nickel, gold, or mercury are known as causes of allergic contact dermatitis. Elemental nickel and it is salts soluble in sweat can cause dermatitis during solubilization occurring after prolonged skin contact characterized by various skin symptoms (e.g. dryness, inflammation, eczema, blisters). The mechanism is yet not understood. The nickel ion itself is not antigenic. Different nickel complexes are bound to Langerhans-cells which participate in immune regulation and are identified as being responsible for antigen processing and for presenting the antigen to T-lymphocyte-cells. Nickel-specific-T-lymphocytes are created that release lymphokines which stimulate the macrophages and natural killer cells resulting in allergic responses. Nickel sensitivity is reported for up to 15% of the female and 1% of the male population. In textile manufacturing metal parts are often used as indispensable accessories (e.g. buttons, zippers) and for decoration (e.g. grommets, rivets). The European Union's Nickel Directive 94/27/EC (European Standard EN 1811:1998) prohibits the use of nickel in products used in prolonged contact with the human skin if the nickel release exceeds 0.5 μ g/cm2 per week. Products available in non EC-member-countries are not controlled by this Directive and thus may be of high risk for nickel sensitive people. Metal textile accessories were tested for their nickel release performing extraction experiments in artificial sweat and determining the nickel concentrations of the extracts. High nickel release was found which justifies further investigation.
Published Version
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