International Comparison of Sensitizing Chemical Substances

Some occupational and environmental chemicals cause allergic diseases. To prevent chemical allergies, it is essential to identify the chemical substances that cause sensitization and to eliminate such sensitizers from daily life. As an occupational countermeasure, information for evaluating sensitization of chemical substances is needed. The aims of this article are to compare the criteria for sensitizers among national organizations in various countries and international organizations, and to make out a list of these chemical substances. The definition of sensitizing chemicals and the designation of respective sensitizers according to the PRTR law, Japan Society for Occupational Health (JSHO), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), European Union (EU), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinshaft (DFG) and Japanese Society of Occupational and Environmental Allergy were studied. There are 1,389 chemical substances which are designated as sensitizers by any of the laws and five organizations. We specify each chemical substance in the list.