LAUSR

Ethylenediamine [EDA, C2H4(NH2)2, CAS no. 107-15-3] is an aliphatic amine with a broad range of applications in rubber, dyes, insecticides, and synthetic waxes. Historically, the most common reason for allergic contact dermatitis caused by EDA was its use as a stabilizer in topical medicaments (e.g. Mycolog® cream) (1, 2). This application of EDA has been discontinued. In 1995, EDA was removed from the European baseline series because of the low incidence of EDA sensitization (3). However, it is still present in the bronchodilator aminophylline, and is often found in occupational settings (4). In this article, we present two process operators with allergic contact dermatitis caused by EDA working in the same company producing ethylene amines.