Fiberglass Insulation Skin Irritation?

[Garrett Terlaak]

I posted a while back on how to most effectively and affordably cool my new
house. The consensus was a wholehouse fan or ventilator. After discovering
that most of my neighbors use these I went for it, and did the installation
last night. Thanks to all who posted feedback. Now the real problem...

Stupidly I wore a short sleeve shirt and the fiberglass insulation caused
some skin irritation on my arms. Any remedies for this?

Thanks again.

--
Garrett Terlaak
O'Connor Construction Management, Inc.
Telephone: 949.476.2094
Facsimile: 949.476.8294
Web Site: http://www.ocmi.com

[bea...@netzero.net]

The irritation is caused by fiberglass fibers being 'stuck' in your
arm.. Sweat and heat open your pores more...so try to stay cool.

Time will push all of them out....I would suggest short sleeve shirts
and cold water periodically....you might have some luck with tweezers
or maybe even using some tape...... (nothing too sticky...don't want
to rip all your arm hair off !)

Maybe some of the blue painting tape..the kind that comes off easy,
put it on your arms and pull it off, you might be able to get some of
the fibers out that way......good luck !

[kathleen]

bea...@netzero.net wrote:
>
> The irritation is caused by fiberglass fibers being 'stuck' in your
> arm.. Sweat and heat open your pores more...so try to stay cool.
>
> Time will push all of them out....I would suggest short sleeve shirts
> and cold water periodically....you might have some luck with tweezers
> or maybe even using some tape...... (nothing too sticky...don't want
> to rip all your arm hair off !)
>
> Maybe some of the blue painting tape..the kind that comes off easy,
> put it on your arms and pull it off, you might be able to get some of
> the fibers out that way......good luck !

On the same note as the tape, I wonder if a cosmetic peel-off
facial masque would help (?).

kathleen

[Scott R.]

I usually just take the coarsest washcloth I can find and scrub VERY
hard on the skin. This will help remove many of the fibers and some of
the top layer of skin that holds them as well. Lather, rinse, repeat. :)

Scott R.

[Erik Deckers]

Garrett Terlaak wrote:

> Stupidly I wore a short sleeve shirt and the fiberglass insulation caused
> some skin irritation on my arms. Any remedies for this?

This is an excellent indication of the potential harm fiberglass can do. Right
now, there is some growing concern that fiberglass insulation can *possibly*
contribute to lung cancer. That's why there's a warning label on all fiberglass
insulation packages now. I just wonder how long it will be before fiberglass
goes the way of asbestos.

There is a group whose website I've seen called the Fiberglass Information
Network. It's not a great site, but you can see it at
http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/fin/ -- pretty scary. I'm not affilliated
with the group at all, but am a concerned consumer, especially since I spent 2
weeks putting fiberglass in the second floor of my house last year, and didn't
wear a mask for the first few days.

Erik Deckers
WE International, Inc.
http://www.foilinsulation.com
decker...@yahooNOSPAM.com
to email me, drop the NOSPAM

[Daniel Hicks]

Garrett Terlaak wrote:
>
> I posted a while back on how to most effectively and affordably cool my new
> house. The consensus was a wholehouse fan or ventilator. After discovering
> that most of my neighbors use these I went for it, and did the installation
> last night. Thanks to all who posted feedback. Now the real problem...
>

> Stupidly I wore a short sleeve shirt and the fiberglass insulation caused
> some skin irritation on my arms. Any remedies for this?

Time and lots of showers. Wash the clothes you wore SEPARATELY FROM
OTHER CLOTHES several times before wearing again. Unless you really
react badly to such things you'll live.

(Some people prefer to work fiberglass in short sleeves since then the
glass isn't trapped in the sleeves where it can REALLY do a number on
you.)

[we...@webtv.net]

To get rid of the irritation from the Fibreglass just put some vinegar
in the bath water and soak for a few minutes. For some reason it seems
to work. I learned this from someone who worked in a glass plant.

Mark

[DerbyDad03]

<jpk...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Friday, August 18, 2000 2:00:00 AM UTC-5, Garrett Terlaak wrote:
>> I posted a while back on how to most effectively and affordably cool my new
>> house. The consensus was a wholehouse fan or ventilator. After discovering
>> that most of my neighbors use these I went for it, and did the installation
>> last night. Thanks to all who posted feedback. Now the real problem...
>>
>> Stupidly I wore a short sleeve shirt and the fiberglass insulation caused
>> some skin irritation on my arms. Any remedies for this?
>>

>> Thanks again.
>>
>> --
>> Garrett Terlaak
>> O'Connor Construction Management, Inc.
>> Telephone: 949.476.2094
>> Facsimile: 949.476.8294
>> Web Site: http://www.ocmi.com
>

> someone mentioned duct tape. That gave me an idea to use the adhesive
> tape type lint roller normally used to remove pet hair form one's
> clothing. I tried this several times and it worked pretty good. It seems
> to remove many of the fiberglass fibers after rolling four or five times
> in the affected area.
>
> Good luck.
>
> (signed) Itch no more

13 years later and the guy finally gets a solution to his itchy arm
problem. I'm sure that' same relief!

[Stormin Mormon]

In the meantime, he's been through about 4,506 pounds
of skin cream, and two marriages.


.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[tra...@optonline.net]

On Saturday, October 12, 2013 9:12:37 AM UTC-4, Stormin Mormon wrote:



It's odd that in the last few weeks there has been this
big increase in the number of old threads that get re-started
via HomeMoaners. IT's always happened that old threads
showed up maybe once every month or two, but now it's
like a daily thing.

[Stormin Mormon]

Really? I don't remember writing that.

[micky]

You're right. I wonder why.

[Oren]

On Sat, 12 Oct 2013 06:24:11 -0700 (PDT), "tra...@optonline.net"

<tra...@optonline.net> wrote:

>It's odd that in the last few weeks there has been this
>big increase in the number of old threads that get re-started
>via HomeMoaners. IT's always happened that old threads
>showed up maybe once every month or two, but now it's
>like a daily thing.

They are just itching to get into the conversation?

As a young boy, after school, I made money unloading freight cars
loaded with hundreds of rolls on fiberglass insulation.

Best practice: NEVER scratch the "itching skin"! The pores of the
skin open when sweating, so the glass fibers get into the skin.

Important is to take a _COLD_ shower as soon as possible, just rinsing
off without scrubbing the fiber deeper into the skin.

My two cents :)

[Tony944]

"Oren" <Or...@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:ft7j595k7qjonhc3d...@4ax.com...

Tow cents are great but one should take first hot shower long one then cold
before you get out you will new person.

[Oren]

YMMV

I spoke from experience. Avoid scratching the itchy skin - just wash
the glass fibers off first with a cold shower. I'll except your
notion of a hot shower after the fact. Then more cold water :)

[micky]

On Fri, 11 Oct 2013 23:21:05 -0700 (PDT), jpk...@gmail.com wrote:

>On Friday, August 18, 2000 2:00:00 AM UTC-5, Garrett Terlaak wrote:

This is 13 years old too, but I'll post what I've written.

>> I posted a while back on how to most effectively and affordably cool my new
>> house. The consensus was a wholehouse fan or ventilator. After discovering

Aren't these two different things? A whole house fan goes in the
ceiling of floor below the attic, and the ventilator goes in the roof
or the gable of the attic. No?

>> that most of my neighbors use these I went for it, and did the installation
>> last night. Thanks to all who posted feedback. Now the real problem...
>>
>> Stupidly I wore a short sleeve shirt and the fiberglass insulation caused
>> some skin irritation on my arms. Any remedies for this?
>>
>> Thanks again.
>>
>> --
>> Garrett Terlaak
>> O'Connor Construction Management, Inc.

Before I learned to wear a long-sleeve shirt, I just did nothing much
and the itching went away in a day or two. I never had any visible
rash. Maybe I took a bath, but the thought occurred to me that the
stuff would just redeposit. That wasn't enough to get me to take a
shower instead.

You must have put in a whole house fan to have gotten so much
fiberglass. When I did my roof fan, I didn't touch any of the stuff
with my arms, only my shoes.

If you are in construction management, shouldn't you know this stuff!

[k...@attt.bizz]

IME, cold water is the answer. It doesn't need to be shockingly cold
but just less than "warm". The idea isn't to freeze to death, just to
not have the skin react to the warmth. Judging from my pool
experience, low 70s is good, 40s isn't necessary.

[notbob]

On 2013-10-13, micky <NONONO...@bigfoot.com> wrote:

> Before I learned to wear a long-sleeve shirt.........

Either pay someone else to do it or buy a full disposable clean room
(bunny) suit. Only $10-15 ea online. Way cheaper ($2-$5 ea) if you buy a couple
dozen.

nb

[DerbyDad03]

micky <NONONO...@bigfoot.com> wrote:

...snip...

>
> If you are in construction management, shouldn't you know this stuff!

The key word is "management".

[k...@attt.bizz]

I always do such work in the Winter, then do it with minimal outer
clothing (just long pants and shirt, maybe two). After, do the cold
shower thing. No problems.

[notbob]

On 2013-10-13, k...@attt.bizz <k...@attt.bizz> wrote:

> I always do such work in the Winter, then do it with minimal outer
> clothing (just long pants and shirt, maybe two). After, do the cold
> shower thing. No problems.

I'm super sensitive to fiberglass anything. I once quit a job cuz
they said I hadda sand some fiberglass. "Nuh-uh, I no longer work
here. Toodles." Bunny suits also handy for other chores, like
crawling under a spidery house, attic, etc. I usta get 'em free,
having worked in Silly Valley, but would invest again in a heartbeat.
That's jes me and merely a suggestion. ;)

nb

[DerbyDad03]

I used to get Tyvek coveralls for free when I repaired computer equipment
in clean rooms many years ago. I still have a couple stashed away for
"emergency" situations, like Halloween .

One time about 20 of us all wore Tyvec suits, spray painted with a local
football team's colors, to a home game.

[micky]

On 13 Oct 2013 18:41:26 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:

>On 2013-10-13, k...@attt.bizz <k...@attt.bizz> wrote:
>
>> I always do such work in the Winter, then do it with minimal outer
>> clothing (just long pants and shirt, maybe two). After, do the cold
>> shower thing. No problems.
>
>I'm super sensitive to fiberglass anything. I once quit a job cuz
>they said I hadda sand some fiberglass. "Nuh-uh, I no longer work
>here. Toodles." Bunny suits also handy for other chores, like

A friend had a bunny suit, but his neighbor Elmer almost shot him.

[Stormin Mormon]

On 10/14/2013 4:59 PM, micky wrote:
> On 13 Oct 2013 18:41:26 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm super sensitive to fiberglass anything. I once quit a job cuz
>> they said I hadda sand some fiberglass. "Nuh-uh, I no longer work
>> here. Toodles." Bunny suits also handy for other chores, like
>
> A friend had a bunny suit, but his neighbor Elmer almost shot him.

That neighbor sounds really fudd up.

I also quit a fiberglass job. Came home, my clothes
made me itch. I tried all kinds of wash, and ended
up throw away the clothes.

[mcolem...@gmail.com]

Duct tape worked, but my arms aren't very hairy

[brenta...@gmail.com]

Lint roller idea--excellent! Worked for me. Thanks!