Seven-month-old Sabrina reaches out to touch euro coins through a window in Munich. Two of the eight euro coins due to come into circulation in January release so much nickel that people allergic1 to the metal could develop hand eczema. [Reuters]

Just five minutes of contact with one-euro (88 U.S. cents) and two-euro coins containing nickel alloy³ could trigger symptoms, including skin inflammation or itching⁴, the study said.

Earlier studies which tested French, British and Swedish coins containing nickel were also found to have the potential to cause nickel allergies⁵, it said.

Fifteen percent of all women and two to five percent of men in the industrialized world are prone⁶ to nickel allergy⁷.

In the study, two-euro coins were bathed for a week in a solution resembling human sweat to imitate the effects of people handling coins.

The amount of nickel released from the euro coins was up to 30 times above a level regarded by scientists as the concentration threshold for reactivity to a single exposure.

Contamination of hands with nickel was shown to occur by handling cupro-nickel coins for five minutes, the study said.

Whilst ordinary consumers handle coins infrequently for short periods of time, many shop assistants and cashiers in shops, banks and post offices handle coins during large parts of their workday. Between 30 and 40 percent of nickel-sensitive people tended to develop hand eczema, an inflammation of the skin which could lead to sick leave or change of jobs.

EU scientists, environmentalists, dermatologists⁸ and the nickel industry considered nickel allergy potential when the composition of the euro coins were decided⁹, the study said.

Coins are exempt¹⁰ from the EU's nickel directive, which limits the amount of nickel in products such as jewelry¹¹ or watches that come into direct contact with the skin.