A MYSTERIOUS RASH ON A WOMAN'S HANDS & LIPS STUMPED SPECIALISTS
The Washington Post - Health & Science - July 28, 2014
- By Sandra G. Boodman
Excerpts: . . . At her second appointment Zirwas examined her back, confirming his hunch: The only strong reaction Omiatek displayed was to a chemical called
methyllisothiazolinone, MI for short,
which is used in high concentration in hundreds of beauty and personal care products.
In Omiatek’s case, MI was in the new brand of “sensitive” baby wipes she had begun using a few weeks before the hand rash erupted.
The pattern of the rash, which was on her right, dominant hand, matched the way one would use a wipe. MI was also in the dishwashing soap she used as well as in her soap and shampoo. . . .
. . estimates that about half of the approximately 300 MI allergy patients he has seen were using wipes. . . .
. . . Unlike shampoo or soap that is rinsed off, the substances in toilet wipes remain on the skin, in a part of the body where evaporation does not occur.
“It gets driven into the skin, perpetuating the problem,” said Zirwas, noting that it takes months for the rash to clear entirely after a patient stops using the product. . . .
. . The concentration of MI in some personal-care products was increased about five years ago to replace other preservatives, including formaldehyde, which have been linked to health problems.
“People thought it was going to be” an effective replacement, Zirwas said, “but around two or three years ago, we started seeing an incredible increase in the number of people allergic to it.” . . .
. . . She also learned she was allergic to the brand of “sensitive baby sunscreen . . . .
[Full article at link above -- and there is so much more important detail in the full article.] -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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See their Skin Deep section for safe personal care products. They also have done a lot to identify safe sunscreens. -
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Keebler
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- Baby wipes mentioned in the article above. Apparently, now personal care wipes are "popular" in our marketplace.
But these are damaging our sewer systems, clogging them and draining finances - and causing our bills to rise, too.
They are NOT flushable, no matter what the package says.
To get around those when needed for tender areas, a water bottle that will angle just right over the toilet . . . and a little "safe" ointment or lotion on a clean piece of toilet tissue will work just fine. Kleenex or facial tissue will also clog toilet fixtures, they don't dissolve into pieces very well. -
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Judie
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7th Generation laundry soap and dish soap irritated my skin. I switched to Planet brand.
Later I found out I had an allergy to MI and it explained a lot of problems I had with soap.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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Keebler
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- Oddly, you'd think I would not but they're more about environmental impact, I think, than skin. I have trouble with 7th Generation Dish Hand Soap, too . . . but haven't found a replacement yet and almost out so your note is perfect timing.
I'll check out Planet's site now & EWG. I don't use my dishwasher (other than as a drying rack), so it really matters.
- see update below about Seventh Generation - it contains this! -
[ 08-10-2014, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
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Judie
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The other thing I do is wear cotton gloves and larger "True Blue" gloves over them when I have to do a lot of dishes so my skin doesn't dry out.
Good luck! Planet seems to have less ingredients than a lot of them.
Yes, green doesn't mean much. I just called a green certified hotel and asked what cleaning products they use. It was stuff like Spic and Span, Tide, and dryer sheets like Bounce.
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Razzle
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Thank you for posting about this!!! I thought I was crazy for being allergic to 7th Gen. stuff starting about 4-5 years ago... So now I know I'm not crazy and also I'm not the only one!
I switched to Planet brand laundry and hand dishwashing soaps too, and it seems to be ok as long as I don't over-do it.
My DH breaks out in hives even from the Planet dishwashing soap, so we have had to get the plain castile soap for him, & he wears nitrile gloves to do dishes.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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Keebler
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- Those nitrile gloves are sure nice but hands sure do sweat in any kind of protective gloves.
If your husband has trouble with that, I find that cooler water helps control that. If I really need to rinse the rims of glasses or mugs with hot water, I just wait until the end and then don't put my hands under the hot water.
I turn them inside out to dry. Rotate pairs.
I use a skirt/pant hangar so they can dance about in the air to dry well.
For longer projects, a thin pair of white cotton "treatment" gloves (at most pharmacies and beauty vendors) inside the protective gloves works. But then, they may (or maybe not) need to be a size larger.
My SIL chemist taught me that trick. I do find the nitrile gloves to be very nice - so much more comfortable than project / medical like gloves. And no smell at all to the ones I got (as opposed to many rubber gloves). -
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Keebler
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- UPDATE - Aug. 10.
I can't believe I can be so neglectful. I just assumed Seventh Generation could not have this ingredient in it (even if it bothered me -- as I thought it was a cut above the rest). Well . . . as I studied options today for my supplies delivery . . . I just took another look at the ingredient list.
THIS is in it. And I've been using it for a long time, with skin trouble for a long time. Uh. I blamed it all on other things.
Someone told me that the 7th generation powder DISHWASHER soap was "cleaner" than the liquid.. less toxic. That is what I use.
People were using those baby wipes to wipe kids' FACES!!! YIKES!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Keebler
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- Oh, no. I just ordered 2 months' supply. I did "study" the ingredients and they sounded fine to me (well, I thought they did). However, I forgot to first consult with EWG.
BioKleen gets very low marks. But it's a bit confusing, they say even aloe is not great. There is only one other "hand dishwashing liquid" brand that gets a passing mark and it's loaded with "parfume"
Keebler
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- Razzle posted about Planet. And I forgot. I see now that VitaCost does carry it.
It also occurs to me that sinus distress (and other health issues) can come from the airborne irritants when water mist splashes from all kinds of soaps - and the steam that escapes from dishwashers, too. So this does matter.
And this may be why some of the "safe" ingredients from my view (citrus peel, etc. may get less than "A" as when those are in the water/mist splash back, etc. they can irritate sinuses and even skin.
But something has to cut the grease. But I can tone down the speed the water comes through my faucet so I don't create a facial sauna.
Planet gets an "A" from Environmental Working Group. Planet also seems to have improved from their previous formula, to win higher marks: be sure of which batch is bought, though, in case some of the old is still out there. Not sure of the date they made the change. scroll down:
EWG's rating of DISHWASHING LIQUIDS -
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Keebler
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- Edited: this arrived yesterday and, apparently, no one at the company ever tested the design with a real human being using it -- or when it got wet. It will not hold when the silicone gets wet. And the design is just backward. I can't hold it! What a waste. ------
Needed to replace my dish brush and hate clutter all around. This one looks pretty nifty, and needs no mug to contain it on the sink ledge:
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