silky oak allergy - what helps?

[william_b_noble]

well, it had to happen - someone gave me a piece of silky oak (or maybe
sheoak) and I find I'm allergic to the dust - fortunrately I wore a HEPA
respirator, but everywhere the dust settled on my skin, I have the kind of
rash I get from poison oak - but slightly different and more persistant -
anyone know what is effective against this (other than the obvious "quit
turning silky oak)??? didn't find anything on the web for such a reaction
although there is plenty for poison oak/sumac/ivy

???

[Kevin & Theresa Miller]

Some antihistamine may help, followed by full body armor next go...

...Kevin
--
Kevin & Theresa Miller
Juneau, Alaska
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb

[Leo Lichtman]

Kevin & Theresa Miller wrote: Some antihistamine may help, followed by full
body armor next go...
************
The "full body armor" could be in the form of one of those protective skin
creams. I understand firemen use them when they have to work around poison
oak.

But I feel another cartoon coming on, with you standing in front of your
lathe, in full body armor, etc, etc. You know you are a woodturner when....

[Andi Wolfe]

Bill, If the reaction is severe enough you may need a course of
cortisone (steroid?) treatment from your doctor. If the
over-the-counter meds aren't doing anything for you, it might be a
good idea to pay your doctor a visit before too long.

Thanks for the heads-up on the she-oak. I think this is a wood from a
tree in the Protea family, and I've been given wood from a related
species. I'll have to take precautions given your news.

Now I can see the additional cartoon of someone in full body armour on
steroids. . .

Andi

[Bill Day]

I have turned large pieces of Silky Oak and had no problems, but can't
turn Cocobolo, and have trouble with some other Rosewoods...strange,
ain't it?...but, when I absolutely want to stay safe, I wear a
protective Tyvek suit in addition to dust masks & such. I get mine off
the rack at Home Depot, but they 'can' be ordered from the internet.
(They have elastic bands at wrist & ankle and a hood) The added benefit
is that I can strip it off in the shop and not have to change clothes
after turning,,,makes the wife happy.

I also have a prescription for a steroid cream and sometimes use a
Poison Ivy shield BEFORE turning when doing some little piece of
Rosewood....You just have to decide whether "X" piece of wood is worth
it.
--
remove BALDERDASH for email reply

[Chuck]

On Mon, 27 Jan 2003 21:27:22 -0800, "william_b_noble"
<william...@nospam.microsft'snetwork.com> wrote:

I have a similar reaction when I turn "Brazilian Rosewood," but the
rash doesn't itch, and it is only in places where it is trapped and/or
in contact with sweat, like under my watchband. It eventually goes
away, but to help it along, I use Benadryl gel, which seems to speed
it along.

--
Chuck *#:^)
chuck(AT)archaeologist(DOT)com
Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply.
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[MOTOAM]

She-oak is the generic Australian term for trees of the genus Casuarina.
Commonly called in the US Australian Pines. (The Australians have named the
group for the similarity of the wood to oak, [Quercus]. Both woods show strong
medullary rays. In the US we've named them for the appearance of their
needlelike branchlets.)
Silky-Oak, Grevillia robusta, (Again named for the resemblence of the wood to
Oak due to strong medullary rays.) is famous for the allergic reaction that
many experience when working with it. It is also well known that these allergic
reactions may develop over time and that someone who has displayed no reaction
may suddenly develop a violent illness. I am not aware of anyone who has
experienced an allergic reaction to She-Oak. But for every species out there
someone is sensitive. Both species are fairly common here in South Florida but
seldom used by woodturners because of their physical properties.
Brian Rosencrantz

[Bill Rubenstein]

Bill:

Yes, strange. I turn cocobolo, Honduras rosewood, African blackwood (also a
rosewood) regularly without a problem. The first time I turned a green
piece of Silky-Oak (Grevillia robusta) I broke out on my arms, neck --
anything which was exposed. Over-the-counter didn't cut it and I ended up
with a prescription -- Triamcinolone -- the description:

Nystatin and triamcinolone (nye-STAT-in and trye-am-SIN-oh-lone )
combination contains an antifungal and a corticosteroid (kor-ti-co-STER-oid)
(cortisone-like medicine)

It knocked it down after a while.

I won't be turning that wood any time soon.

Bill Rubenstein

"Bill Day" <extreeBA...@erols.com> wrote in message
news:rsad3vc4a4o6geru9...@4ax.com...

[Ern Reeders]

If these common names are referring to the Australian timbers, then it's
likely that what gave you the reaction was Silky Oak as that has the
reputation down here (tho there are 2 genuses I think). I haven't heard
of She-oak causing allergic reactions, but this can be an individual
thing.

And yes, I would give up turning it entirely. There are other woods as
nice, and the reactions are going to get worse.

Cheers,

Ern
Melbourne, Australia

[hamza...@gmail.com]

What is an allergic reaction
An allergic reaction is very much less common than irritative reactions. During life, we estimate that approximately 2% will develop an allergic reaction to a cosmetic product. Allergic reactions manifested in skin contact dermatitis. For such a reaction to take place, one must first develop an allergy. Upon initial use of a drug (new cream) will never get an allergic reaction. The body must first develop an allergy. For prolonged use may immune system develop such a sensibility (allergy). This process is called technical term sensitization. Once one has become sensitized, even very small amounts of the product provide a dermatitis reaction in the skin. Typical allergic reactions are swelling, scaling and purses skin changes.
See more at:-> http://cosmedica.no/a-g-artikler-allergi.html
http://cosmedica.no/

[Stu Beckhurst]

On Tuesday, January 28, 2003 at 5:30:07 AM UTC, william_b_noble wrote:
> well, it had to happen - someone gave me a piece of silky oak (or maybe
> sheoak) and I find I'm allergic to the dust - fortunrately I wore a HEPA
> respirator, but everywhere the dust settled on my skin, I have the kind of

> rash I get from poison oak - but slightly different and more persistent -

> anyone know what is effective against this (other than the obvious "quit
> turning silky oak)??? didn't find anything on the web for such a reaction
> although there is plenty for poison oak/sumac/ivy
>
> ???

Hamza made a good comment..... you might be dermatologically sensitive and not allergic. If your breathing suffered I would advise you avoid and vacuum / dust extract your workplace as best you can.
There is a very good website that states toxic woods on the net. I suggest you take a look.
A rule of thumb is that the more tropic a wood is the more inbuilt protection it has and therefore the more likely it is to be toxic as a self protection system.. sub tropic woods are less toxic and so on ..