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Brief Communications

Nature 419, 132 (12 September 2002) | doi:10.1038/419132a

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Metallurgy: High nickel release from 1- and 2-euro coins

Frank O. Nestle1, Hannes Speidel2 & Markus O. Speidel2

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The amount of nickel is regulated in European products that come into direct and prolonged contact with human skin1 because this metal may cause contact allergy, particularly hand eczema2, 3, 4. Here we show that 1- and 2-euro coins induce positive skin-test reactions in sensitized individuals and release 240–320-fold more nickel than is allowed under the European Union Nickel Directive. A factor contributing to this high release of nickel is corrosion due to the bimetallic structure of these coins, which generates a galvanic potential of 30–40 mV in human sweat.