Allergic Reaction to Cocobolo

Barry:

Sorry to hear about your allergy to cocobolo -- one of the really beautiful woods of the world and also one of the nicest turning woods there is.

If you took a nice hot shower, that may have made the problem worse rather than better. It does a good job of opening the pores of the skin. A cool shower would have been better.

At this point, all true rosewoods are to be handled with care. African blackwood is one of them, Honduras rosewood, kingwood... Lacewood, also called silky oak, is to be handled carefully since so many people react to this one although it is not a rosewood. Lacewood is the only wood I've had trouble with and it was hell.

Another word to the wise... Either turn in a smock which is long enough to go below your belt line or pull your shirttails out of your pants. You can guess why.

If you want to chance it again, cover up and try using Ivy Block (Walgreen's) on hands, arms, neck, face before you turn. It has helped many.

And when it is too late, get a prescription of Triamcinolone Cr 0.1%. You can guess how I know how to spell it.

Bill

P. S. We want you well enough to keep that Stubby humping.

Barry N. Turner wrote:

Normal long sleeves don't help. You need to have waterproof sleeves or fine dust can get through. You may need gloves too. I am just repeating what I heard on a video by John Timby. He became allergic to many exotic wood dusts. I am not personally allergic.

Derek

IIRC, subsequent exposures to something you react to can be much worse than the first. You might want to ask the doc, or consult an allergist before you turn any similar wood.

Hope you clear up soon.

Thanks for the kind words...........and the advice. You know, I'm going to break down and try it again.........just a matter of how long it takes me to forget how bad the itching was.

Of the woods you mentioned, I've only turned cocobolo and kingwood, which I also like very much. Wood just doesn't get any prettier than those two woods. I have a small piece of African Blackwood, but haven't tried it yet. I probably won't be turning any lacewood.

The trip to the doc was just a minor aggravation. Got a shot and my very own prescription for Triamcinolone Cr 0.1%. Are you allergic to the stuff too?

I guess my carefree days of turning in an old T-shirt are over. Maybe I'll just try a large garbage bag. Maybe I will try the Ivy Block. I must not be terribly sensitive to the stuff................yet. The only places I have a rash are the insides of my elbows where skin contacts skin........with sweat and wood shavings in between. And a bit under my watch. I don't need a watch to turn.........although it's easy to lose track of time. Thanks again.

Barry

PS You know, I wasn't even using my Stubby at the time........my old trusty Jet Mini instead. The Stubby is nice though.

=========================== Barry, One of the bad things about allergic reactions is that no matter how long you've been immune to a particular allergen, once you've passed a certain point (called a sensetizing level), you can expect to have a reaction at any time in the future when you come into contact with it. A good example is exposure to poison oak/ivy/sumac. A person may contact these for years, then after an exposure that causes a problem, you'll have the problem from then on. One problem you may want to be aware of that if you inhale the dust, you may have a reaction in your respiratory tract. That would make your arm exposure a picnic in comparison. Better to pick more benign woods in the future. Good luck!!

Ken Moon Webberville, TX

You can get a full coverage "non-woven" coverall with hood and booties for about $3.50 each in boxes of 24 from Kimberly Clark. I buy these 10 cases at a time for work. Check at your local safety or asbestos supply house. If you tape all seams, wear latax gloves, and use a powered mask, it should protect you from the dust. When you are done turning, vacuum or damp wipe off the suit prior to removing. Remove the suit outside of the shop. Dispose of the suit ($3.50). Take a cool shower.

Wear a suit and mask every time you enter the shop until you have completly cleaned the shop. More than likly the next exposure will be much worse.

Good luck

Henry

Barry:

The only wood which bothers me is lacewood and it is no great loss.

We have a member of the St. Louis club, a woman, who is so allergic to cocobolo that they had to almost disinfect their shop. She and her husband both turn. When a show-and-tell piece is passed around at a meeting, if it is cocobolo, she won't even touch it.

Bill

Barry N. Turner wrote:

Hello Barry,

You may what to try an antihistamine before you work with some of these woods if they do not make you sleepily. Unfortunately, you will need to clean up very careful as dust just lying around could case another reaction. Your body may not react the same again, but it could be worse. I would suggest you see an allergist and you may want to keep an epipen handy. I am not sensitive to woods but have had similar reactions to other things one summer but never had it again. Some people get worse with more exposure, chemical, like the solvents in some glues can make it worse. I have heard of a few turners who will not touch some of these woods for the reaction they can get. Be careful and remember that some of the spalted woods can cause similar problems, protect your lungs and be safe first.

I really appreciate all of the helpful tips and the concerns expressed. You know, I know all of these things about sensitizing exposures and subsequent exposures being potentially much worse. I have worked in the environmental section of a health department for over 30 years and have actually given some of the same advice that I have received here.

I think I will take much more precautions before I ever attempt turning cocobolo again. Thanks to you guys, I think I have enough info here to justify a dust collection system to my wife. Before I try it again, I'll have a Tyvek suit, dust collection and a good dust mask. Or, maybe I will just skip it altogether. Thanks everyone.

Barry

I am constantly amazed at the levels to which folks will stoop to justify the purchase of new tools or equipment.

Fess up! You rubbed the dust on you, right? :o)

Barry

I got your email this AM, but was feverishly getting the Newsletter together and did not have the opportunity until now to respond - sorry

I have no experience with rashes from cocobolo - maybe it is common - I have only turned the stuff once! That's right only once about 3 weeks ago. No rash on me, but I was covered pretty well - mask and all!

I hope you are not itching any more - except the itch to turn some more!

Ray

I heard recently of someone dieing from Silky Oak - so I would suggest we all steer clear of that stuff!

Ray

Shhhhhhhh...............only a little.

Barry

I don't have any problem with lacewood but silk oak got me good. I used the rest room with with out realizeing I was contaminated and had dire results. My lesson is if I leave the shop I go scrub my hand with soap and water before eating or rest room breaks. At least working on the car you can see the black grease and know to wash. With turning you can't see the oils.

Well, the itch has finally subsided and the redness almost gone. I finally resorted to good, old-fashioned calamine lotion (poison ivy remedy) yesterday, It worked better than the prescription cream my doctor gave me. I'm guessing he hasn't treated very many cases of cocobolo allergy. Thanks to all who responded to my dilemma.

Barry

PS I vacuumed up all traces of shavings and dust from my cocobolo winestopper gone bad, apparently without causing any further exposure. Now, I have to remember to be careful emptying the shop vac.

With apologies to the Stones:

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion You'll be scratching like a hound the minute you start to turn it round

Poison ivy, poison ivy Well late at night when you're sleeping Poison ivy comes a creeping all around

Maple make you bumpy and oak'll make you lumpy and lacewood'll make you jump and twitch A common elm'll cool you and spalted cherry'll fool you but cocobolo's gonna make you itch

Groooaaaaannnnnnnnnn! :-)

Barry

A few years back I cut and screwed drywall to form the room that is now my Lathery. It was sweaty, dusty work but I persevered until it was finished. That night, red welts began appearing on the inside of my elbows, armpits and behind my knees. Seems my sweat and the gypsum dust weren't playing well with my skin and I had a reaction (I'm prone to skin sensitivity). I thought I might have to avoid drywall dust from then on, but have since worked with it on a number of occasions with no reaction - the difference being that I don't allow myself to get as hot as before and I shower and change clothes as soon as possible afterward.

Maybe the cocobolo dust is causing a similar reaction on you - the redness appeared where both perspiration and dust would gather. Long sleeves may very well be the solution, protecting your skin from direct exposure, plus shower or wash immediately afterward and work where there's ventilation.

As to dust collection - yes. If you can see particles floating in the air then use the DC to try to catch as much of that as you can. Position the pickup as close to the work as possible - I place a small rare earth magnet on my lathe bed so that it grabs a metal hose clamp on the hose end. I can position the hose anywhere along the lathe quickly and easily. (This assumes you have a good DC filter on the unit so that you aren't just broadcasting the dust via the DC.)

This spawns another "problem" ­ that of emptying the DC... Wear a good quality dust mask, only open 'er up outside, and stand upwind -- or get your M-i-L to do it for you.