Irritant contact dermatitis
Meaning of irritant contact dermatitis: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, irritant contact dermatitis: (a) means inflammation of an area of the skin from exposure to an irritant that has been applied to the same area of skin; and (b) involves direct tissue injury; and (c) includes irritant contact dermatitis that is due to cutaneous exposure from airborne irritants; and (d) excludes: (i) allergic contact dermatitis; (ii) atopic dermatitis (eczema); (iii) dermatitis due to extremes of weather, friction, solar radiation or other forms of radiation; (iv) photocontact dermatitis; (v) systemic allergic dermatitis; and (vi) urticaria.
Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 3 of 2021
At least one of the following factors must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting irritant contact dermatitis or death from irritant contact dermatitis with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
- (1)having the affected area of skin exposed to an irritant within the three days before the clinical onset of irritant contact dermatitis;
Note: irritant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Note: Activities involving prolonged or frequent contact with water or other liquids (wet work) are a common cause of irritant contact dermatitis. Such activities include frequent hand washing, handling wet things and prolonged wearing of occlusive gloves.
- (2)having the affected area of skin exposed to an irritant within the three days before the clinical worsening of irritant contact dermatitis;
Note: irritant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Note: Activities involving prolonged or frequent contact with water or other liquids (wet work) are a common cause of irritant contact dermatitis. Such activities include frequent hand washing, handling wet things and prolonged wearing of occlusive gloves.
- (3)inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for irritant contact dermatitis;
Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsections 9(2) to 9(3) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, the condition where it was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person’s relevant service.
Balance of Probabilities (BoP) — Statement of Principles No. 4 of 2021
3 factors
At least one of the following factors must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, irritant contact dermatitis or death from irritant contact dermatitis is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
- (1)having the affected area of skin exposed to an irritant within the three days before the clinical onset of irritant contact dermatitis;
Note: irritant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Note: Activities involving prolonged or frequent contact with water or other liquids (wet work) are a common cause of irritant contact dermatitis. Such activities include frequent hand washing, handling wet things and prolonged wearing of occlusive gloves.
- (2)having the affected area of skin exposed to an irritant within the three days before the clinical worsening of irritant contact dermatitis;
Note: irritant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Note: Activities involving prolonged or frequent contact with water or other liquids (wet work) are a common cause of irritant contact dermatitis. Such activities include frequent hand washing, handling wet things and prolonged wearing of occlusive gloves.
- (3)inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for irritant contact dermatitis;
