Legislative and preventive measures related to contact dermatitis*

Legislation can be a useful tool in the prevention of contact dermatitis. This is particularly true for dermatitis due to exposure to the many contact allergens that are chemical substances in products. A brief review is given of the most important European legislation--the EU Nickel Directive, the Cosmetics Directive, the Hazardous Substances Directive and the Hazardous Preparations Directive--and of some national regulations and standardization projects. It is concluded that it is essential that experts on contact dermatitis support, with their expert knowledge, national and European authorities.