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Metal Allergy pp 365–372Cite as

Metal Allergy: Cobalt

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Abstract

Cobalt is a metal with a silvery appearance with special properties such as ferromagnetism and a high resistance to heat and wear, causing it to be widely used in many different applications. Cobalt has a well-known toxicity, and it is a potent skin sensitizer and one of the most common causes of contact allergy. Cobalt allergy is common in dermatitis patients in general, but more pronounced among specific occupational groups. Among patch-tested dermatitis patients, prevalence numbers range from 4.5% to around 11% for studies from Europe and North America, whereas the typical range for occupational groups are 4% to 20%. Some of the most well-known occupations where cobalt allergy have been prevalent include hard metal workers, pottery and porcelain workers, and construction workers. Consumer exposure to cobalt mainly occurs from items such as jeweller, leather, cosmetics and electronics. In jewellery and electronics cobalt is used in its metallic state, but for leather and cosmetics it is mostly used as a pigment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden

    Anneli Julander

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  1. Anneli Julander
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Correspondence to Anneli Julander .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Redwood City, CA, USA

    Jennifer K Chen

  2. Department of Dermatology and Allergy Herlev and Gentofte Hospital University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark

    Jacob P. Thyssen

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Julander, A. (2018). Metal Allergy: Cobalt. In: Chen, J., Thyssen, J. (eds) Metal Allergy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58503-1_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58503-1_28

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