Changing jobs may save your hair. Healthcare and industrial workers often experience occupational hair loss. Nurses, doctors and medical assistants are affected by toxins in their environment that people who do not work in a hospital setting are not normally exposed to every day. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monitors occupational health hazards. This agency has gathered evidence that exposure to many industrial chemicals can be linked to many serious illnesses and hair loss.

Healthcare workers who treat cancer patients with chemotherapy drugs (antineoplastic medications) have a higher than normal incidence of abnormal hair loss. These anti-cancer agents are already known to cause temporary hair loss in people who receive treatment with them. However, repeated exposure from handling these drugs has side effects that have only recently come to light.

Evidence that NIOSH collected from studies conducted since 1988 suggest that dermatitis, rashes and hair loss are common among healthcare workers, including pharmacists, who handle these drugs. Other occupational side effects include reproductive problems, along with kidney and liver damage. The beneficial effects of these drugs for the patients outweigh their side effects. However, the medical community must grapple with the problem of protecting healthcare workers from the unintended consequences of this occupational hazard.

Investigators have found that many workers who inhale and handle chloroprene during manufacturing experience dermatitis and temporary hair loss, along with serious illnesses like cancer and kidney disease. this chemical is formed by processing of the ingredients used to make synthetic rubber, neoprene. DuPont introduced neoprene in 1931. Polymerization of butadiene produces chloroprene. Natural rubber made from rubber tree sap does not contain the toxic chemicals produced by neoprene.

Since the federal government became aware of the significance of this exposure, most workers have been required to wear respiratory masks. Isolated incidents still occur due to accidents and spills. Wholesalers and retailers who stock large volumes of sporting goods products may put inventory workers at risk of excessive exposure.

Consumers who purchase synthetic rubber products have not reported the same adverse symptoms that affect industrial workers. Outside the automobile industry, the most common uses of neoprene in consumer products are waterproof wetsuits, waders, gloves, and boots. With the exception of waders, direct skin contact occurs during use. Irritation from prolonged skin exposure has been reported, but studies of dermatitis and hair loss in consumers are not conclusive.

Consult your physician for a diagnosis and find out if your occupation plays any role in your onset of bald spots or thinning hair.