Prevention of Cement Dermatitis in Construction Workers With Iron Sulphate

Allergic dermatitis to chromate in cement is the most common occupational dermatitis among construction workers in Singapore. Hexavalent chromate in cement can be removed by iron sulphate. This study determined the minimum concentration of iron sulphate required to remove the hexavalent chromate from nine brands of Asian cement. The hexavalent chromate concentrations in cements were determined by colorimetric spectrophotometry. The minimum amount of iron sulphate required to remove completely hexavalent chromate in all the cements was 0.35% w/w. Iron sulphate should be used in the construction industry to prevent cement dermatitis in construction workers.