Euro Coins Could Cause Skin Disease - Study (2001)

Seven-month-old Sabrina reaches out to touch euro coins through a window in Munich. Two of the eight euro coins due to come into circulation in January release so much nickel that people allergic to the metal could develop hand eczema. [Reuters]Two of the eight euro coins due to come into circulation in January release so much nickel that people allergic to the metal could develop hand eczema, according to a study by a Swedish dermatologist and British laboratory scientist.

Just five minutes of contact with one-euro (88 U.S. cents) and two-euro coins containing nickel alloy could trigger symptoms, including skin inflammation or itching, the study said.

Earlier studies which tested French, British and Swedish coins containing nickel were also found to have the potential to cause nickel allergies, it said.

Fifteen percent of all women and two to five percent of men in the industrialized world are prone to nickel allergy.

In the study, two-euro coins were bathed for a week in a solution resembling human sweat to imitate the effects of people handling coins.

The amount of nickel released from the euro coins was up to 30 times above a level regarded by scientists as the concentration threshold for reactivity to a single exposure.

Contamination of hands with nickel was shown to occur by handling cupro-nickel coins for five minutes, the study said.

Whilst ordinary consumers handle coins infrequently for short periods of time, many shop assistants and cashiers in shops, banks and post offices handle coins during large parts of their workday. Between 30 and 40 percent of nickel-sensitive people tended to develop hand eczema, an inflammation of the skin which could lead to sick leave or change of jobs.

EU scientists, environmentalists, dermatologists and the nickel industry considered nickel allergy potential when the composition of the euro coins were decided, the study said.

Coins are exempt from the EU's nickel directive, which limits the amount of nickel in products such as jewelry or watches that come into direct contact with the skin.

一项由瑞典皮肤病专家和英国科学家共同完成的研究表明，将于2002年1月份发行的欧元套币中有两种面值的硬币镍含量过高，可能会导致镍过敏者患上手部湿疹。

该项研究表明，持续接触1元面值（合88美分）和2元面值的欧元硬币5分钟，这两种硬币中所含的镍合金就可能引发皮肤病症状，包括皮炎和皮肤搔痒。

早期的研究曾经对法国、英国和瑞典三国流通的含镍的硬币进行过测试，发现这些硬币也可能引发皮肤过敏。

在工业国家中，大约有15%的妇女和2%-5%的男人特别容易患上镍过敏症。

在这项研究中，科学家将2元面值的硬币在类似人类汗液的液体中浸泡了一周，以此来仿效人类在接触到硬币时的反应。

实验结果表明，当人们手拿这种硬币时接触到的镍竟然比科学家实验得出的能够引起过敏反应的最低镍浓度高出30倍。

人们的手和这种镍铜合金硬币保持5分钟接触就会引起镍污染。

普通消费者一般只是偶尔短时间接触硬币，但是许多售货员，商店、银行和邮局的收银员因为工作原因却要长时间和硬币打交道。30%-40%的镍过敏者会因此感染上湿疹和皮肤炎症，最终他们不得不休病假，甚至更换工作。

当初确定欧元硬币成分的时候，欧盟的科学家、环境学家、皮肤病专家和镍制造商也曾经考虑过镍过敏问题。

但是欧盟对珠宝、手表等直接与皮肤接触的产品的镍含量作了明确限制，却没有限制硬币中的镍含量。