Contact dermatitis from the epoxy resins tetraglycidyl-4,4′- methylene dianiline and o-diglycidyl phthalate in composite material

An outbreak of dermatitis occurred in an aircraft factory using epoxy resin composite material. Of 25 operatives, 14 gave positive patch test reactions to the composite material and/or diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), tetraglycidyl-4,4'-methylene dianiline (TGMDA), and o-diglycidyl phthalate. This report seems to be the first to demonstrate contact allergy to the two last mentioned epoxy resins. The diglycidylether of bisphenol A used in routine test series picked up only 3 cases of 12 tested.