Contact allergy to allyl glycidyl ether present as an impurity in 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, a fixing additive in silicone and polyurethane resins.

We present a 43-year-old man who worked in the plastics industry and who suffered from an occupational dermatitis on the hands and forearms. He was found to be allergic to an epoxy silane compound that was contaminated with allyl glycidyl ether, a reactive epoxy diluent. HPLC analysis and patch testing indicated that this impurity was probably the only sensitizer. Moreover, the gloves used provided absolutely no protection, as the inner side also generated strong positive reactions.