Causative agents and occupations at risk

Table 1: Examples of skin irritants and sensitisers, together with occupations where they occur

Example occupations Examples of irritants
General manufacturing, Healthcare Alcohols
General manufacturing, Engineering Degreasers
Engineering Cutting oils & coolants
Food, Cleaning, Beauty, Healthcare Disinfectants
MVR, Petrochemical Industry, Chemical Production Petroleum products
Food, Cleaning, Beauty, Healthcare Soaps & cleaning products
Food, Cleaning, Beauty, Healthcare Wetwork
Example occupations Examples of sensitisers
Engineering, Manufacture of hard metal, Foundries Cobalt
Plating, Engineering Chromium & chromates
Hair & Beauty, Product manufacture Cosmetics & fragrances
Construction Epoxy resins
Plating, Hair & Beauty, Engineering Nickel
Florists, Horticulture, Agriculture Plants
Product manufacture Preservatives
Construction, Healthcare Resins & Acrylates

Table 2: Examples of causes of contact urticaria and occupations where they occur

Example of occupations Agents
Animal husbandry, Farmers, Vets Cow dander
Cooks, Food preparation workers, Kitchen workers Food & animal products
Kitchen workers, Bakers, Millers Flour & grains
Healthcare, Animal husbandry, Vets, Laboratory workers Natural rubber latex

Table 3: Examples of agents that cause skin cancer and occupations where they occur

Agents Type of work
UV rays from the sun Outdoor work
Coal tar and derivatives Coal tar handling, coal gasification, coal tar distillation
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Petroleum refining, coal tar distillation
Ionising radiation Radiation-related work
Arsenic Metal ore handling and smelting, pesticide manufacturing
Coke Coke processing
Soot Chimney cleaning

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Updated 2025-06-16