Contact sensitivity to chromate: comparison at a London contact dermatitis clinic over a 10-year period

It has been argued that for chromate sensitivity to be reduced, then ferrous sulfate should be added to cement. This has not yet been done in the UK. To explore this further, we have looked at the comparative sensitization rates of patients attending the St. John's Institute of Dermatology Contact Dermatitis Clinic between the years 1982-3 and 1992-3. Patch-test-positive rates for females were not significantly different between the 2 populations studied (1982-3, 1.59% and 1992-3, 1.99% p NS). Similarly, there was no significantly different rate between the males (1982-3, 3.99% and 1992-3, 4.25% p NS) in the same time period. There was no difference in the distribution of eczema in chromate-positive subjects, nor of cobalt co-sensitization, a crude indicator of sensitization via cement. This work demonstrates no appreciable difference in the frequency of chromate sensitivity between the early 1980s and 1990s in London. Adding ferrous sulfate to cement may help to lower the frequency in the future.