Occupational dermatitis to ultraviolet-cured acrylic-based inks in computer hard disc manufacturing.

Ultraviolet-cured acrylates and their various components and applications are reviewed in this report. A 26-year-old woman involved in silk screening computer discs with ultraviolet-cured inks developed an acute allergic contact dermatitis on her hands and forearms. Patch testing revealed a number of strong reactions to epoxy resin and many multifunctional acrylates. The only one listed on the material safety data sheet to which she reacted was tripropyleneglycol diacrylate (TRPGDA). The other positive reactions likely represent cross-reactions. The positive reaction to epoxy is possibly relevant and attributable to nonhardened epoxy resin contaminant in the epoxy prepolymer. This case report shows a new application for ultraviolet-cured acrylate based inks in computer hard disc manufacturing.