Allergenic potential of abietic acid, colophony and pine resin-HA. Clinical and experimental studies.

Resin acids are considered to be the main allergens in colophony (rosin). Tall oils also contain resin acids and may then be potential sensitizers. A resin acid concentrate (pine resin-HA) together with Chinese colophony were included in our standard series and applied on 563 patients with contact dermatitis. Fourteen showed an isolated sensitivity to colophony and two to pine resin-HA. Six patients reacted to both test compounds. Guinea pig maximization tests (Magnusson & Kligman 1969) showed that pine resin-HA (2 series) was a grade I allergen, abietic acid a grade III allergen and colophony a grade IV allergen. The risk that the resin acids in tall oils would induce contact sensitivity to workers exposed to tall oil-containing products like cutting fluids and cleansing agents is considered to be minimal.