Latex-free respirator

Jean D. Portell <jeandp [at] aol__com> writes

>Monona Rossol <actsnyc [at] cs__com> writes
>
>Fortunately Mrs. Keck suggested that I seek a second opinion from
>her own physician. Dr. Love (his real name) advised me to do a
>simple patch test: have someone at the lab attach several Band-Aids
>to my back (skin that is normally covered), first applying to each
>gauze center a bit of one of the materials that I handled frequently
>at the lab, including the hand-washing soap. Within a few hours, the
>area under one Band-Aid felt itchy. Thus I discovered that I am
>allergic to petroleum benzine ...

A patch test is not definitive for allergy.  Swelling, itching or
redness at that site can be cause from allergy, irritation, or a
response to a corrosive.  Only a blood test can really identify an
allergic response.

The physicians I work have a problem people doing their own patch
tests. They even have a problem with doing patch tests at all unless
they have given serious consideration of the fact that a person
could become sensitized by the tests themselves.  This is really not
a DIY project.

Solvents actually are corrosives.  If you doubt that, think about
paint remover.  All it is are solvents like petroleum benzine mixed
with an inert gel to keep it from evaporating quickly.  Splashing
paint remover on your skin is essentially keeping a solvent on the
skin longer than it would be if it were free to evaporate rapidly.

So I would be vastly more surprised if you didn't react to a Band-Aid
full of benzine.  But there is no basis to assume it was an allergic
response.

Monona


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:28
                 Distributed: Sunday, December 11, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-25-28-006
                                  ***