Nickel - Allergen No.

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Umicore Electroplating
Base Metal Electrolytes

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Nickel Allergy

• 15 - 20 % of female and appr. 5 % of all male in Europe are sensitized to Nickel.

The senzibilization rate of females below 30 is appr. 40 %.

• Nickel = Allergen Nr. 1

• Important
substrate and deposit should be nickel-free

• Examples
Buttons, zipper parts, fashion jewellery, earrings, watches, spectacle frames, etc.

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Allergy - Mechanism

Allergisation phase Cause phase

contact Recontact
Skin surface

regional lymphnode

sensitized
macrophage lymphocyte

contact material
lymphocyte
body‘s own protein

cell with nucleus

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Nickel Allergy - Mechanism

Sensitization = "Learning" of the human immune-system

• First contact of an allergen (e. g. Nickel) with the immune-system of the human body.
• The metal salts get into contact with components of blood. So called "haptenes" will
be formed.
• These are foreign substances, the immune-system developes a defence strategy
(memory effect).

Allergy = illness
• The skin and mucous membranes will be inflamed after they came into contact with
the haptene again. The immune-system remembers the haptene and reacts with
defence.

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Sensitization to Nickel - Age, Sex

45
40
35
30
25
%

20
15
10 Female
5 Male
0
0 - 29 y 30 - 60 y > 60 y
Source: Dermatosen 41, Heft 2 (1993)

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Nickel Allergy - Sources

Earrings 76
Watches 67
Buttons 49
Necklaces 42
Rings 41
Zippers 41
Bangles 28
Spectacle frames 12
n = 111
Source: British Journal of Dermatology (1996), 134

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Nickel Allergy - Symptoms

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Nickel Allergy - Symptoms

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Nickel Allergy - Symptoms

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Nickel Allergy - Symptoms

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Nickel Allergy - Symptoms

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Use of Nickel
(Buttons, Zipper Parts, (Fashion) Jewellery, Earrings, Watches, etc.)

Substrate, e. g.
• German silver
• Stainless steel
• Further nickel alloys
• Light or grey gold alloys

As electroplated intermediate layer, e. g.

• Nickel
• Pd/Ni (Ni > 20 %)

As electroplated final layer, e. g.

• Nickel
• Pd/Ni (Ni > 20 %)
• Nickel containing gold alloys

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Nickel-free Systems

We recommend completely nickel-free systems to avoid Nickel Allergy

• Substrate
+
• Intermediate layer
+
• Final layer
+
= Nickel-free accessories (e. g. buttons, zipper parts, (fashion) jewellery, ...)

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Alternatives to Nickel

Not Levelling Bright- Hard-ness Corrosion Colour Diffusion Price Rack/ Sub-
allergenic ness protection barrier barrel sequent
plating
Nickel - + + + (+) + + + + +

Sn + (+) + - (+) + - + + -

Sn/Pb + - (+) - (+) (+) - + (+) -

Co - (+) (+) + + + + - + +

Pd + - + - (+) + + - + +

Zn + + + - (+) (+) - + + -

acid Cu + + + - - - - + + +
Bronce
+ (+) + + + + + (+) + +
(white)
Bronce
+ + + (+) (+) - + (+) + +
(yellow)
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Properties of Nickel as an Alloying Element of
Precious Metal Deposits
• Increase in hardness
• Improvement of abrasion resistance
• Brightening
• Colouring

Examples:
Pd/Ni, Au/Ni, Au/Ni/In, Au/Cu/Ni, Au/Cu/Cd/Ni

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Alternatives to Nickel

In the substrate As intermediate layer

• Copper, Brass, Bronze • Copper
• Zinc • MIRALLOY® yellow
• Tin • MIRALLOY® white
• Palladium
As alloying element of a gold layer
• Au/Fe As final layer
• Au/In • MIRALLOY® white
• Au/Sn • Palladium
• Au/Cu/Ag • Tin
• Au/Pd • Zinc
• Au/Cu/Pd

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Examples of Possible Nickel-free Layer
Combinations
Ni-free substrate

cyan. Copper

If levelling is
acid Copper MIRALLOY® yellow desired

Pd MIRALLOY® white Pd MIRALLOY® white

noble metal If necessary

Ni-free system
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