Primary irritants and sensitizers used in fabrication of footwear.

Abstract

SQUEAKING shoes are today seldom encountered. Not long ago they were familiar; new shoes always squeak, but taking the honors were old shoes that had been wet and then dried out. The squeak was removed from footwear by radical changes in their manufacture. Materials were introduced which heretofore had never touched the human foot. Tennis shoes made their appearance about fifty years ago. In 1910 shoe cements came into use. A few years later, mineral spirits were found to be good solvents for shoe adhesives and polishes. When these solvents are placed on the skin and covered, either in a patch test or by footwear, they are primary irritants and sensitizers. The financial setbacks of the shoe industry in 1919 sent manufacturers scurrying for cheaper materials. Various bonded, laminated, coated and impregnated fabrics or papers were introduced. Many synthetic materials are now in favor. Modern footwear has become a