Allergic contact dermatitis induced by textile necklace

Impact of chemical substances used in textile industry on the employee's health: Epidemiological study

Textile industries are well known by their extencive use of the water and the highly toxic chemicals that pose a serious problem to humans and to environment. The objective of this study is to evaluate the occupational risks related to Otolaryngology, dermathitis and ophthalmological symptoms among the textile employees in a textile factory at Sidi Brahim industrial area of fez city then to investigate the correlation between chemical substances used and the symptoms already indicated. This study was based on a cross sectional survey carried out among 90 workers in a textile factory. It could be seen a high correlation between the use of chemicals, work conditions and the studied symptoms. Epidemiological study shows that textile workers in the studied factory area are daily exposed to dangerous and toxic chemicals that threat their lives. This scourge can be handled by the involvement of all responsible authorities to propose recommendations, alternatives, and solutions to further improve the textile sector and to preserve health and the environment.

Evaluation of cytotoxicity and inflammatory activity of wastewater collected from a textile factory before and after treatment by coagulation-flocculation methods

Effective treatment of textile effluent prior to discharge is necessary in order to avert the associated adverse health impacts on human and aquatic life. In the present investigation, coagulation/flocculation processes were evaluated for the effectiveness of the individual treatment. Effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated based on the physicochemical characteristics. The quality of the pre-treated and post-flocculation treated effluent was further evaluated by determination of cytotoxicity and inflammatory activity using RAW264.7 cell cultures. Cytotoxicity was determined using WST-1 assay. Nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were used as biomarkers of inflammation. NO was determined in cell culture supernatant using the Griess reaction assay. The IL-6 secretion was determined using double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunoassay (DAS ELISA). Cytotoxicity results show that raw effluent reduced the cell viability significantly (P < 0.001) compared to the negative control. All effluent samples treated by coagulation/flocculation processes at 1 in 100 dilutions had no cytotoxic effects on RAW264.7 cells. The results on inflammatory activities show that the raw effluent and effluent treated with 1.6 g/L of Fe-Mn oxide induced significantly (P < 0.001) higher NO production than the negative control. The inflammatory results further show that the raw effluent induced significantly (P < 0.001) higher production of IL-6 than the negative control. Among the coagulants/flocculants evaluated Al2(SO4)3.14H2O at a dosage of 1.6 g/L was the most effective to remove both toxic and inflammatory pollutants. In conclusion, the inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells can be used as sensitive biomarkers for monitoring the effectiveness of coagulation/flocculation processes used for textile effluent treatment.

The "Jewelry Addict": Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Repetitive Multiple Children's Jewelry Exposures

A 9-year-old girl with atopic dermatitis developed persistent plaques on the lips, hands, and fingers that were unresponsive to topical steroids. Her mother reported that she was "addicted" to costume jewelry and developed rashes in reaction to a number of adornments, ranging from rubber bracelets to costume metal jewelry and belt buckles. A careful history of jewelry exposures was taken and patch testing was performed to identify allergenic sources. Patch testing revealed allergy to nickel, gold, and thiuram mix. The case illustrates the importance of investigating a range of different types of allergens when evaluating for jewelry sensitivity in children with frequent use of accessories, including rubber jewelry, plastics, dyed yarns, beads, metals, and ceramics. This article provides an overview of jewelry allergies and the potential allergens requiring screening.