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Battle against skin disease
Skin ailments are the most common workplace disease in many countries and the chief culprit is epoxy resins.
A recent Australian study found 60 per cent of workers affected by “contact dermatitis” - inflammation caused by direct contact with an irritating substance - had applied for workers compensation.
And all of them had successful claims. In one study, 6.7 per cent of sufferers had at least 12 months off work.
Most allergic contact dermatitis related to epoxy resin is localised to the hands and forearms. Contaminated hands can also spread the allergen to previously unexposed sites.
Symptoms:
- Itching of the skin
- Redness or inflammation
- Tenderness of the skin
- Localised swelling
- Warmth of the exposed area
- Skin lesion or rash
The skin may become scaly, raw or thickened and there could also be oozing, draining and crusting.
Epoxy resins are widely used in the building, construction, painting, and printing and publishing industries.
Epoxy resins commonly found in:
- Adhesives
- Paints
- Coatings
- Sealants
- Fillers
- Concrete repair
- Reinforced polymer composites
- Varnishes
- Product finishing
- Laminates
The three most affected occupations for contact dermatitis are floor finishers, process workers and spray painters, a study has found.
Within these applications, safety gloves were used by only 67.4 per cent of workers. And none of the work gloves used gave the wearer adequate chemical protection.
SolVex safety gloves the chemical protection solution
Ansell, in conjunction with an independent German laboratory, conducted safety glove permeation tests for hand protection against epoxy resins.
The chemical resistance performance was measured on eight chemical protection gloves against five commonly used epoxy resins.
The results showed the SolVex® safety gloves had no signs of permeation after eight hours contact with epoxy resin.
The SolVex® chemical protection gloves come in a range options that include varying lengths, thicknesses and grip patterns.
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SolVex® chemical protection safety gloves
Safety gloves made of neoprene, natural rubber or vinyl are not recommended for protection against epoxy resins.
Source: Nugriaty D. I., Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Epoxy Resin: A Series of Occupational-Related Cases, The University of Melbourne Advanced Medical Science, Occupational Dermatology Research and Education Centre.
Ansell safety gloves:
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