Of a total of 3731 patients investigated between 1974 and 1990, 1844 (49.4%) had an occupational skin disease. Of them 142 (7.7%) had an occupational skin disease caused by epoxy compounds--135 patients (95%) had allergic contact dermatitis, five had irritant contact dermatitis, and two had contact urticaria. Apart from dermatoses, two patients had IgE-mediated asthma from exposure to DGEBA epoxy resins. Thus epoxy compounds are one of the main causes of occupational allergic contact dermatoses and can be considered potential causes of occupational asthma. The most frequent causes were epoxy resin compounds, which together induced 93% (132 cases) of all epoxy compound dermatoses. The three most common causative products were epoxy paints and their raw materials (31%, 41 cases), epoxy resin compounds used in electrical insulation (29%, 38 cases) and epoxy glues (18%, 24 cases). Fewer cases were caused by products containing epoxy acrylate and EPTMAC. The present study found that, in addition to contact allergy to DGEBA epoxy resins, contact allergy to epoxy hardeners, non-DGEBA resins and reactive diluents is common. Polyamine hardeners, most frequently MDA, DETA and TETA, rarely IPDA, tris-DMP, EDA, TMD and XDA, were the second commonest causes of contact allergy induced by epoxy resin compounds, after DGEBA epoxy resins. Cycloaliphatic epoxy resins and other non-DGEBA epoxy resins, including heterocyclic dimethyl hydantoin, phenol novolak and brominated epoxy resins, were the third commonest causes, and reactive diluents the fourth commonest cause of allergic dermatitis due to epoxy resin compounds. Most patients sensitized to reactive diluents were allergic to PGE, ortho-CGE, HDDGE and BDDGE, whereas fewer patients were sensitized to AGE, NPGDGE and BGE. Cross-sensitization between reactive diluents was common. Cardura E 10 and Epoxide 8 provoked no reactions. The present study also indicated that DGEBA epoxy resins with a high average MW ought to be regarded as potential sensitizers, and organic solvents probably promote sensitization to DGEBA, even if the amount of DGEBA is low in the causative products. When contact dermatitis induced by epoxy compounds is suspected, an accurate diagnosis is made with the use of detailed data on the patient's exposure and extensive patch testing, including tests with the patient's own products. No chemical can be used alone to screen for sensitization to all different contact allergens of epoxy compounds.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)