History
Alfred Bogisch, working for a chemical company owned by Julius Hauff, discovered in 1891 that methylated p-aminophenol has more vigorous developing action than p-aminophenol. Hauff introduced this compound as a developing agent. The exact composition of Bogisch and Hauff's early Metol is unknown, but it was most likely methylated at the ortho position of the benzene ring (p-amino-o-methylphenol), rather than at the amino group. Some time later, Metol came to mean the N-methylated variety, and the o-methylated variety fell out of use. Aktien-Gesellschaft für Anilinfabrikation (AGFA) sold this compound under the trade name Metol, which became by far the most common name, followed by Eastman Kodak's trade name Elon.
Because it has been in use for this purpose for over 100 years, and often by amateur photographers, there is a substantial body of evidence regarding the health problems that contact with Metol can cause. These are principally local dermatitis of the hands and forearms. There is also some evidence of sensitization dermatitis, in which repeated exposure triggers of a chronic condition that is resistant to medication. The use of Metol in highly caustic solutions and the presence of other materials in darkrooms that have been implicated in dermatitis—such as hexavalent chromium salts—may exacerbate some health impacts.
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