Epoxy allergy?

[Cracker Larry]

Could somebody tell me what the signs and symptoms are of an epoxy allergy? I think I might have developed one.

[jacquesmm]

I hope not.
I worked with somebody who developed an allergy over time.
At first, discomfort on the face, around the nose, runny eyes. Then redness of the skin, rashes on the arms.
It can take months to go through those stages.
By that time, he stopped working with epoxy.
Later, he used protective creams with moderate success.
The effect is cumulative and only a minority of people develop an allergy. If you are predisposed to become allergic, it may take years of exposure to feel signs of allergy.
The allergenic is the hardener.
Once you stop working with epoxy, the symptoms go away, there is no lasting effect.

[jacquesmm]

I found this web site that shows the symptoms:
http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/epoxy-allergy.html

I have had epoxy on my skin for 35+ years without problems but it depends on the person.
I have never seen anything as bad as what they show in the pictures.

It may be an allergy to a thinner in the paint too.

[jacquesmm]

And a good article from WEST systems here:
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/health-eff ... -to-epoxy/

It confirms what I always thought: only a small percentage of people are or become allergic.
What is strange in your case is that you worked for at least 10 years with it. If you had been allergic, it should have been apparent years ago but then I am not a doctor.

[Cracker Larry]

Thanks for those links Jacques, very helpful. And yeah, I think I've got it

I've been working with epoxy since it was invented, 30 or more years, guess it was just a matter of time. Glad this GF18 is almost finished.

[pee wee]

I sure hope you're wrong . . . maybe you're just sick of it!

[Jerry In Maine]

Take a drop of hardener, dilute it with a bit of alcohol and put a drop on your arm. Then put a bandaid over it and leave it overnight. See if you get a reaction.

[terrulian]

This is definitely the worst news I've heard recently.
Allergies are very tricky, however, and a person can become allergic like Jacques describes to literally thousands of things both from the natural and man-made environment. And you work with a lot of chemicals besides epoxy. Luckily the boat is done and you can see if some time away from it helps. If not, it's probably something else. I hope it is. But if it isn't, you have shown yourself to be such a strong character that I'm confident you will find a way to use your talents that is equally rewarding. How about a wooden boat with no modern materials?
Good luck, Larry.

[Fuzz]

This is definitely the worst news I've heard recently
Good luck, Larry.

I could not agree more. Having our most active builder be forced to quit building would really S##K! I am hoping it might be something else like the clear coat or?? I look for your latest update every morning with my coffee. Sort of selfish of me but I would hate to change my morning routine.
Fuzz

[Cracker Larry]

I'm pretty certain that's what I've got. All the symptoms match and my rash looks just like those pictures. Never been allergic to anything before in my life, except fools. This started before the clear coat and I've been narrowing down possibilities.

We'll see if a couple of weeks without epoxy exposure helps. Might be time to re-assess my future plans. Not a good thing for a boat builder to have