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Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Exotic Woods

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Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology
  • 259 Accesses

Synonyms

Woods, allergic contact dermatitis from; Woods, occupational contact dermatitis from

Definition

Exotic woods come from tropical and subtropical regions of South America, South Asia, and west and central Africa. Tropical woods are beautiful, strong, stable, and resistant to moisture and fungi (Hausen 1986). They are used in the manufacture of decorative items, furniture, tool handles, musical instruments, and jewelry, occupationally and recreationally by woodworkers and hobbyists.

Sawdust of exotic woods may be irritating to the skin, eyes, nose, and lungs and in addition can cause sensitization. Most dermatoses from contact with woods are occupational and are observed in carpentry or wood industry workers. Less commonly, the finished product, such musical instruments, necklaces, or bracelets, may be responsible for dermatitis (Le Coz and Ducombs 2006).

Clinical Manifestations

Dermatitis due to wood contact is more commonly an irritant or phototoxic reaction, but exotic woods...

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References

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Correspondence to Susana Córdoba .

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Córdoba, S. (2014). Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Exotic Woods. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_578

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_578

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