Abstract: Chemical allergy is of considerable importance to the toxicologist, who, amongst other things,\nhas the responsibility of identifying and characterizing the skin (and respiratory) sensitizing potential\nof chemicals, and estimating the risk they pose to human health. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD)\nis to a large extent a preventable disease. Although quantitative risk assessment (QRA) for contact\nallergy can be performed, it is reasonable to ask why the burden of the skin disease ACD appears to\nremain stubbornly high, and in particular, that the general level of ACD to sensitizing ingredients\nfound in cosmetics has not fallen noticeably over recent decades; some could argue that it has increased.\nIn this review, this conundrum is addressed, considering whether and to what extent the prevalence of\ncosmetic allergy is truly unchanged, whether the predicted test methods and potency estimations are\nsufficiently precise and how proposed changes to the QRA process (i.e., cumulative exposure) may\nameliorate the situation. Improved and more widespread use of risk assessment, better education of\nrisk assessors, better post-marketing surveillance and monitoring of dermatology clinic feedback to\nimprove QRA, all together could help to ââ?¬Å?make contact allergy historyââ?¬Â.
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