Airborne contact dermatitis from formaldehyde released from heated plastic polymers.
A 55-year-old woman developed an airborne dermatitis on her face. Patch testing was performed and showed positive reactions to formaldehyde, thiuram mix, carba mix, and nickel sulphate. She operated a machine at work in which polyacetal granules were heated. The presence of formaldehyde in the pyrolysis smoke from the polymer was confirmed by chemical analysis.
