Sensitivity to Bisphenol A

Epoxy resin is a condensation product of epichlorohydrin and Bisphenol A. The latter was suspected to be the sensitizing structure in this resin, but final proof had to await the finding of another suitable subject.1In spite of an alertness for epoxy sensitization, only two cases have been seen since 1957. Both of these occurred during the past 6 months; either, there is not much of this resin in use, or preventive measures are well understood. A recent patient was a white youth aged 18. He had been employed one week sanding archery bows made of fiber glass. An irritation developed on the wrists, and forthwith it spread to the forearms. Soon the face and neck showed a bright red dermatitis. A notable feature was the marked edema of the eyelids and external nares. A diagnostic series of patch tests showed a 4+ reaction to liquid epoxy resin. When