Comparison of product safety data sheet ingredient lists with skin irritants and sensitizers present in a convenience sample of light-curing resins used in additive manufacturing

Material jetting and vat photopolymerization additive manufacturing (AM) processes use liquid resins to build objects. These resins can contain skin irritants and/or sensitizers but product safety data sheets (SDSs) might not declare all ingredients. We characterized elemental and organic skin irritants and sensitizers present in 39 commercial products; evaluated the influence of resin manufacturer, system, color, and AM process type on the presence of irritants and sensitizers; and compared product SDSs to results. Among all products, analyses identified 23 irritant elements, 54 irritant organic substances, 22 sensitizing elements, and 23 sensitizing organic substances; SDSs listed 3, 9, 4, and 6 of these ingredients, respectively. Per product, the number and total mass (an indicator of potential dermal loading) of ingredients varied: five to 17 irritant elements (8.32-4756.65 mg/ kg), one to 17 irritant organics (3273 to 356,000 mg/kg), four to 17 sensitizing elements (8.27-4755.63 mg/kg), and one to seven sensitizing organics (15-382,170 mg/kg). Median numbers and concentrations of irritants and sensitizers were significantly influenced by resin system and AM process type. The presence of undeclared ir-ritants and sensitizers in these resins supports the need for more complete information on product SDSs for comprehensive dermal risk assessments.

Automated summary

Material jetting and vat photopolymerization additive manufacturing processes using liquid resins may contain irritants and sensitizers, but product safety data sheets may not disclose all ingredients. Analysis of 39 commercial products identified various irritants and sensitizers, and their quantities and concentrations were influenced by resin system and additive manufacturing process type. This highlights the need for comprehensive product safety data sheets for comprehensive dermal risk assessments.