Associate Safety Professional Practice Exam

Individuals exposed to which environment may be more prone to develop creeping eruption?

1. Office environments with carpets

2. Underground utilities and soil work sites

3. Polluted urban areas

4. Laboratories handling biological materials

The correct answer is: Underground utilities and soil work sites

Creeping eruption, also called cutaneous larva migrans, is a skin infection caused by larvae of hookworms that typically originate from contaminated soil or sand. The condition is most commonly associated with environments where these parasites thrive, such as beaches, parks, and areas with loose, warm, and damp soil. Individuals exposed to underground utilities and soil work sites are more likely to encounter these larvae directly because these environments often contain the soil and conditions conducive to the survival and development of hookworm larvae. When a person comes into contact with this contaminated soil, the larvae can penetrate the skin, leading to the characteristic migration and associated symptoms of creeping eruption. In contrast, office environments with carpets, polluted urban areas, and laboratories handling biological materials do not generally provide the necessary conditions or direct exposure to the larvae of hookworms that lead to this skin condition. While each of these settings has its own risks—such as allergens in carpets, air pollutants in urban areas, and biohazard risks in laboratories—they do not relate specifically to the development of creeping eruption in the same way as exposure to contaminated soil does.