Sensory irritation caused by two organic solvents-short-time single application and repeated occlusive test in stingers and non-stingers.

BACKGROUND: Neurosensory irritation is a subjective phenomenon induced by a number of chemicals. Objectives. To investigate the sensory irritation induced by two organic solvents - n-octane and cumene - between two groups of volunteers, stingers and non-stingers, identified as such according to the results of a lactic acid stinging test (LAST). METHODS: The immediate effects of the solvents were directly compared in a single simultaneous application test. The reaction intensities over time were studied in a repetitive irritation test over 4 days. The volunteers graded the reaction intensities by the use of a labelled magnitude scale. RESULTS: Cumene induced significantly stronger sensory irritation than octane in both the single and the repeated applications. Both substances induced less subjective irritation the more times the volunteers were exposed. The decline with time for cumene was statistically significant for the non-stingers but not for the stingers. However, no significant differences regarding the reaction intensities were detected in the direct comparisons of stingers and non-stingers. CONCLUSIONS. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to investigate a potential connection between the responsiveness to the sensory irritation caused by lipophilic irritants and lactic acid.

The lactic acid stinging test predicts susceptibility to cumulative irritation caused by two lipophilic irritants.

BACKGROUND: Skin exposure to lipophilic irritants at workplaces is a risk factor for the development of occupational irritant hand dermatitis. Suitable lipophilic model irritants to be used in repeated irritation studies in volunteers are needed to gain a better understanding of the chemical-dependent mechanisms of skin irritation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate acute and cumulative irritation elicited by two new lipophilic model irritants, octane (CAS No. 111-65-9) and cumene (CAS No. 98-82-8), in stingers as compared with non-stingers. METHODS: Short-time occlusive and repetitive occlusive irritation patch tests were performed over 5 days with octane and cumene in two groups of healthy volunteers (n = 15 each) who were classified as stingers and non-stingers according to a preceding lactic acid stinging test. Acute and cumulative irritation was quantified using clinical assessments and bioengineering methods (laser Doppler flowmetry, transepidermal water loss, capacitance measurements, and skin colour reflectance). RESULTS: Significantly stronger cumulative irritation was observed in stingers than in non-stingers for both irritants (visual scoring, stratum corneum hydration, and skin colour reflectance). CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results suggest the existence of a distinct sub-population with increased susceptibility to cumulative irritation induced by lipophilic irritants that can be identified by the lactic acid stinging test.