Allergic Reactions, part 2

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J

jkeithrussell

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I'm sure you've all been up nights wondering how my allergies have been going. I developed 2 bad cases of hives in late August and early September, but I wasn't sure exactly what was causing it. I spent most of September on steroids (which are nearly as bad for me as the hives) and avoided the shop. I was pretty sure that it was an allergic reaction to CA, but I had also been working with M3 blanks and some alumilite blanks. The good news is that I've figured out which material caused my reaction. The bad news is that it took getting another nasty reaction to figure it out. Anyway, it is the alumilite. I cast a few pine cone blanks on Monday night and by this morning my eyes were almost swollen shut and I have hives all over my face and neck again. I didn't touch any other material, so I have no doubt that this is the cause. So, I'll have to avoid working with Alumilite again. Really surprises me because Alumilite is nearly odorless and seems very harmless. The worst part of it is the small fortune and massive amount of time and energy that I put into setting up a pressure pot (still leaks). On the positive side, once I get this reaction resolved, I can get back to turning wood and PR.
 
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I'm glad you found out what it was. It's strange how differently we are affected by these things. God to hear wood and PR are still working for you.

John
 
Two things: does this mean your bating average will improve because of the steroids? AND now you will become an expert on resins.

Al kidding aside, I am glad this is solved. I can only imagine the misery you faced with this issue.
 
Was it from fumes, the dust from turning it or handling it? It is funny how some people react to things that don't affect others. Hope you get better soon
 
keithkarl2007 said:
Was it from fumes, the dust from turning it or handling it? It is funny how some people react to things that don't affect others. Hope you get better soon
Click to expand...

I believe it is a dust/shavings contact reaction with the Alumilite. My neat CA allergy is from inhalation. I get a nasty chest cold for 10 days or so if I catch the faintest whiff of CA. I went more than a year without having a reaction of any kind to any of the materials that we use, then all at once I get respiratory issues and hives at the drop of a hat. And the reaction is a little worse each time.

I can work around all of these things now that I know what is causing my problems.
 
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