An outbreak of occupational textile dye dermatitis from Disperse Blue 106.

patient developed occupational dermatitis from butylene glycol in a soap (9, 10). 2 large-scale group studies, including 364 and 272 patients, give frequencies of contact allergy to 1,3-butylene glycol of 0.4% and 1.1%, respectively, of patients tested (1, 2). Although 1,3-butylene glycol has been considered a safe cosmetic ingredient and a rare contact allergen, we suggest that allergy to it would be reported more frequently if it were tested regularly. 1,3-butylene glycol (5% aq.) is now being added to the Belgian cosmetics series to evaluate the incidence of positive tests and the incidence of possible cross-reactivity with propylene glycol, the latter having been present in the Belgian standard series since 1993. 5% aq. has been proposed as optimal for patch testing by Matsunaga et al. (1), though we did not observe irritant reactions to 10% aq. in 20 control subjects.