Skin problems associated with multifunctional acrylic monomers in ultraviolet curing inks

Fifteen cases of contact dermatitis and three of irritant contact conjunctivitis due to multifunctional acrylic monomers in printing inks are described. Seven with dermatitis were sensitized to pentaerythritol triacrylate but evidenced no cross-reactivity to methyl methacrylate. The other eight cases of dermatitis were irritant. Pentaerythritol triacrylate has been shown experimentally to be a cutaneous sensitizer for guinea-pigs and man. Multi-functional acrylates should be handled with minimal skin contact, to avoid cutaneous problems.