Effectiveness of the European Chromium VI Directive for cement implementation on occupational allergic contact dermatitis occurrence: Assessment in France and UK

Hexavalent chromium is the main sensitizer in wet cement and a common cause of occupational allergic contact dermatitis (OACD), especially among workers in the construction industry.(1,2) The European Chromium VI directive(3) transposed into national regulations in France and UK respectively on May and January 2005, prohibits selling or using of hydrated cement with more than 0.0002% of chromium. This was achieved through the addition of ferrous sulphate to the dry product, allowing to reduce chromium VI to chromium III which is less sensitizing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.