Dermatoses among housekeeping personnel

Background: Housekeepers are exposed to irritants and allergens in their work and are at significant risk for developing occupationally induced contact dermatitis. Objective: We studied housekeepers at the Hershey Medical Center to determine the cause and frequency of contact dermatitis and contact urticaria in these workers. Methods: All housekeepers were examined. Those with hand dermatitis had an extensive history, patch testing, and latex RAST testing. Results. Eight of 130 had hand dermatitis. None had a relevant positive patch test or positive RAST test. Conclusions. Of our housekeepers, 6.2% had occupationally induced irritant contact dermatitis. None had allergic contact dermatitis or contact urticaria to latex.