This evidence review and its recommendations focus on interventions and outcomes to provide a robust approach to the prevention, identification and occupational management of occupational contact dermatitis and urticaria, based on and using the best available medical evidence.

Permethrin is an active ingredient found in many public hygiene insecticide products and exposure to it was assessed in a survey of 45 professional users. The exposures measured were over a wide range, with more than a 100-fold difference between average levels and the highest levels. Dermal contamination was evident on 93% of the operators, the highest contamination resulting from the use of leaking application equipment, demonstrating that proper maintenance of equipment is vital. Where the insecticide was applied at ground level most contamination was on the legs, indicating the importance of appropriate footwear. Contamination of the hands occurred despite the use of protective gloves, higher levels of contamination occurring when liquids were used. Dermal contamination was not always the principle route of exposure, and high airborne concentrations were linked with use in confined areas. Airborne concentrations were also associated with the physical form of the product used and the treatment method. To help in assessing the effectiveness of protective clothing and control measures, biological monitoring was carried out. Monitoring of metabolites in urine showed that systemic uptake occurred but evidence from toxicological studies indicates that the levels found were well below those considered to cause harm.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. IntroductionExposure to isocyanates has been the leading cause of occupational asthma in the UK for at least two decades (Bakerly et al., 2008). Spray painters, using isocyanate-based paints in the motor vehicle repair (MVR) industry, have been the work-group at greatest risk (HSE, 2010), with 80 times the average UK industry occupational asthma incidence. MVR spray painters were therefore chosen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a target group for a national awareness project, aimed at reducing the incidence of occupational asthma. Most sprayers work in micro-businesses. There are approximately 12,000 MVR spray painters in the UK, working in approximately 8,000 bodyshops, over half of which have less than ten employees (Broughton et al., 2010). Throughout the 1990s, HSE targeted the MVR industry to improve isocyanate exposure controls. However, although the risk to sprayers was reduced, the incidence of occupational asthma remained stubbornly high. As most sprayers worked in specialised enclosing spray booths and wore air-fed breathing apparatus it was not obvious how they were being exposed to isocyanates. Research into sources of exposure concluded that activities such as paint mixing, brush application, surface sanding and the spray booth "bake-cycle" for 2-pack paint film curing, emit insignificant amounts of isocyanate (Coldwell and White, 2005a, b). Apart from paint spraying, poorly controlled gun cleaning was the only other potentially significant exposure source identified. This research also characterised the flow of air within spray booths and rooms to better understand how exposure might be taking place. In downdraught booths the formation of recirculatory eddies, against the walls and under light fillets determined the clearance time for airborne isocyanate, whereas in spray rooms this was determined by simple dilution.This understanding of process and local exhaust ventilation prompted a more detailed exploration of industry control measures, through site visits and discussions with employers and industry suppliers, supported by a review of the relevant occupational hygiene literature. This indicated that the relevant stakeholders, including the suppliers wer...

In the United Kingdom the Health and Safety Executive for some years has stored chemical exposure data in their National Exposure Database. However, it has been difficult to persuade industry and other organizations to contribute to this resource. The aim of this project was to devise a cost-effective method of obtaining occupational exposure data on chemicals from U.K. industry and other sources. Five strategies were used to identify data for three different substances: toluene, acrylonitrile, and ethylene oxide. In total, 810 organizations were contacted and over 45 percent responded. However, only 40 had relevant exposure data. Almost equal numbers of acceptable measurements were identified for toluene and acrylonitrile (2,770 and 2,000 respectively) with lesser ethylene oxide data (800). These measurements were drawn from a wide range of industries and are probably representative of measurements made by U.K. industry, although most of the data were from companies employing more than 100 people. During the second phase of the project, more than 3,000 measurements and associated contextual information were collected (499 for toluene, 1,516 for acrylonitrile, and 17 for ethylene oxide, with a further 1,004 measurements for 1 of 27 substances collected simultaneously with one of the above). The costs of identifying and collecting exposure data ranged from ł7 to ł380 per valid measurement, depending on the source of the data. We suggest that, rather than trying to retrospectively collect data, it is likely to be more cost-effective to enlist a number of occupational hygiene consults and industrial organizations to prospectively provide anonymized exposure measurements for inclusion in the Health and Safety Executives National Exposure Database.