ABSTRACT
The published account of textiles as a cause of skin disease begins in 1869 with Wilson's diagnosis (Wilson, 1869) that his patient's skin problem was due to dyes in the socks he wore. During the 130 years that have passed since this report, numerous dennatologists (individually and in teams) have described their investigations to determine the textile origin of the problem and determine prevalence of textile-caused skin disease. Fortunately, reviews of this infonnation have been written (Cavelier et al., 1988; Cronin, 1980; Farrell-Beck and Callan-Noble, 1998; Foussereau, 1995; Hatch and Maibach, 1985a; 1985b; 1986; 1994; 1995; 1999; 2000; Hatchet al., 1992; Hatch, 1984a; 1984b; 1988; 1995; Storrs, 1986. This review oftextiles as a cause of
textile dermatitis (a) provides updated and comprehensive summaries of textiles as irritants and textile chemicals as allergens, and (b) comments on and makes recommendations about investigatory procedures that would improve understanding of textiles as irritants and as contact allergens.
