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Allergic reaction to resin?

May 30, 2005

    1. I'm allergic to resin. Not when it's dry of course, but when I'm sanding or modding the debris gets on me and I get a red, poison ivy-like rash on my arms(and wherever else the resin dust got on me). It's very itchy, but I still don't wear gloves when sanding or modding, because they make me clumsy and more likely to make an unfixable error. But whether you wear gloves or not, you should always wear a respirator.
      Many people are allergic to resin, and the allergies can range from mild to extremely severe. Thankfully mine is mild and goes away after a day or two!
       
    2. That's intense, but I guess if people can be allergic to such things as water and air (totally possible, look it up), it's not a stretch that you could be allergic to resin, I s'pose :daisy Do be careful, and always exercise caution around resin and resin dust, whether you're allergic or not!
       
    3. I guess I already wrote that before somewhere else, but who cares.

      We once had a girl on our german boards that was extremely allergic to resin, esspecially the Soom resin.
      She got resin samples from all her dolls and went to the doctors.
      So they tested her with each sample and the worst reaction was triggered by the soom resin.
      They sent the resin samples to a laboratory where those were tested and the result was that sooms resin is very pure.
      Their resin is of a very good quality.
      The others weren't so pure....
      The doctors said it was because of the high quality of the resin that her skin and lungs went berserk....
       
    4. Omg ... now i´m scared O.O i hope i´m not allergic Dx *still saving up for my first doll*
       
    5. That bit of soom resin is really interesting, though I would argue when they shipped my first doll not too long ago, it was filled with resin dust all over. =.=" Another member had the same thing. >.>
       
    6. I think once my first doll arrives I'll use my vaccuum to try to get dust particles out of the box and off her before I touch her. I'm sensitive to breathing in particles, and I don't need a sneezing fit, or worse..

      This has been very informative, I appreciate it because now I can be more cautious when opening any new dolls and hopefull protect myself from resin dust.
       
    7. Solid resin doesn't sound like a likely allergen, but resin dust is definitely dangerous to skin and especially inhaled to anyone so do wear gloves and a mask while modding. It shouldn't mean the end of your hobby, though, so don't despair!
       
    8. I really hope this is forum-appropriate, because BJDs aren't so common as to show up on medical websites and I think it's important.

      What kinds of chemical or industrial components do dolls contain? What, exactly, is resin? What's in resin? Are dolls as safe to handle as they appear?

      Does anyone know if ethylene diamine hydrochloride (E-005), also known as ethylenediamine, is used in the production of resin ball-joint dolls? I ask because this chemical isn't an uncommon allergen, and it is used in epoxy resin. But is that the same type of resin that BJDs are made of?
       
    9. That's kind of Greek to me. Are you saying it's a different type of resin?

      I was asking because for the past year I've had a rash on my mouth that is only suppressed using steroids. I haven't changed any products I use or foods that I eat, and after seeing various doctors and specialists, an allergy test showed that I am very allergic to
      ethylene diamine hydrochloride. It was applied to my back and caused the same kind of rash that is on my mouth. Everything I've read said this is not a chemical people typically have in their homes, but it is in epoxy resin and the only resin I know of are dolls. I've been collecting for 2 years but this just started 1 year ago.

      I just think it's weird because my hands feel completely fine when I handle my dolls. The only thing affected is my mouth. I have never done any kind of modifications like sanding or cutting into resin, or even painting dolls, so this makes no sense. I haven't seen anyone else here having this problem. So I am REALLY hoping it's not my dolls. I do touch my face a lot so if anything this would be due to touching the dolls and then my lips, but that sounds far-fetched... Ack.
       
    10. It seems that if you were allergic to the resin, you'd have a reaction on your hands. Could there be something else going on with your mouth-- a recent crown or filling, maybe? Anyway, I'm not an expert at all, but as far as I can tell polyurethane resin and epoxy resin are made from different ingredients. The stuff you're allergic to is used as a hardener for epoxy resin. Sorry I can't be of more help. :(
       
    11. No, that's really helpful! The only other theory I have right now is that it could be my memory foam pillow. I got it 2 weeks before I started having the problem, and it's definitely something that comes in contact with my face, though it's got a covering and a pillowcase. And my face is all that's been irritated. I just really hope it isn't the dolls, though I started actively buying them about a month after this happened. I'm debating taping a piece of the memory foam to my back to see if it does anything. >_> I taped a doll piece to my back for four hours the other day and it didn't do anything. But I haven't used my memory foam in 2 weeks and I'm still having to use the steroids, so I'm not sure yet if that was the problem. The testing they did took over a week to fade though, so maybe I just need to give it time. .-. Anyway, thank you!
       
    12. If you've been having the problem for close to a year then it's possible it might take some time to clear up. Has there been any improvement in your condition? Your idea to test other possible allergens isn't a bad one, though... would it have a new reaction since you're already on a steroid?

      What about your laundry detergent, face soap, or makeup?
       
    13. As soon as this started, I stopped using lip gloss, toothpaste, and any scented/dyed detergents and soaps. I also never wear any makeup. The switches had no effect.

      I've seen allergists and dermatologists and undergone some fairly extensive testing. The chemical I reacted the most to was
      ethylene diamine hydrochloride. All the other reactions had faded within 2 days. But this chemical is not supposed to be a common household substance and it's not the kind of thing they put in toothpaste or lip gloss or food, nothing that would be directly touching my mouth.

      What they did was put chemical patches on my back. This
      ethylene diamine hydrochloride had an immediate reaction but I couldn't take the patches off for a couple days, then for a week I wasn't allowed to wash my back. Over the course of the week, the spot where the ethylene diamine hydrochloride had been applied got worse and worse. It's fading now, but it did take a while, and it got worse before it got better. The allergist told me that with dermatitis it takes a while for the reaction to really occur, so you could have a rash appear days after coming into contact with the allergen, which makes it hard to pin down what the thing is. But this has been constant without interruption. If I don't apply the steroid cream every week, the rash comes back.

      Lately I feel like when I touch my dolls, I start to get itchy all over. I can't say I ever had that reaction before, though, so now I'm afraid it's psychosomatic. Like I have a fear that I'm allergic to my dolls, so when I touch them I get a creepy-crawly feeling. >_> I'm scared to touch them now, even if they might not be the issue. And if they are, it might be some of them and not all of them, which will also be a pain trying to figure out which ones are a problem and which are okay.

      Thanks, guys. I'm going to tape some memory foam to my back and see what happens. XD Eek.
       
    14. it could be the pastels--i'm allergic to soft pastels and i get hives all over my arms whenever i use them. you can imagine how art class went! :sweat
       
    15. I don't touch their painted parts though, as I heard they can rub off. .-. I've taken art classes and never had this kind of problem before.
       
    16. Fin, allergies can develop and worsen over time. You know how people who are allergic to bee stings generally have one time being stung before they actually have the reaction that could kill them? Their bodies only start developing the super attack-white blood cells that cause the severe reactions after being exposed once. Thothep's and my mother is allergic to fish but when she was younger she could eat some fresh water fish and a couple types of shellfish, but now she can hardly be in the same room with it, and she's starting to have reactions to iodine.

      It's entirely possible that your reaction is worsening because of continued exposure. I won't say to get rid of them, but you might consider limiting contact as much as possible and potentially wear gloves when doing so to prevent straight on skin contact. If it is psychosomatic (And believe me, I know the power of your brain saying "NOT COOL" on something), then the gloves can help temper that out as well simply because you know there's a physical barrier between you and the dolls.

      If it's the memory foam, well, man I'm freakin' sorry, I don't think I could sleep without my memory foam pillow and pad anymore. >_< I did just put it in on Google and it says it's been used as stabilizers in insecticides and fungicides... which can be on fresh produce or even in peanut butter or canned vegetables. You MIGHT want to see if there's something you changed about a year ago in your diet that maybe could have had it. And I know we don't want to think that stuff is in there, but there was a while peanut butters were passing USDA thresholds on levels of pesticides for consumption by children. Back in the 90s mostly. I have a friend with severe allergies to a pesticide that's used on 95% of all strawberries.
       
    17. Thanks for the suggestions. I know allergies can worsen over time; I have always had pollen allergies, but they worsened severely when I was in college. I can't even eat raw fruit and vegetables anymore, though I was able to do that when I was younger. And I'm a vegetarian, so that sucks!

      I also have an OCD-type of eating disorder. I have eaten essentially the same thing every day for the last 25 years. So I know for sure my diet has not changed. x_X I've never eaten that much peanut butter, and now, along with the pollen allergy, I've become slightly allergic to nuts, so I don't eat them or peanut butter at all these days.

      I really don't touch my dolls very much. And I've always washed my hands before handling them because I heard they fade and stain easily (though after buying dolls I found that not to be quite as much of a concern as I originally feared XD) and after handling them too, because I heard they were sort of toxic. That's why I don't know that it could be them, but they're the only thing I can think of in my house that might contain this stuff. I just don't know if it would take rubbing them against my face to cause that kind of reaction, or if touching them and then touching my face would do it. And lord help me if just being in the same room as them could do this!

      But yeah...just talking about it makes my face itch. So I don't know if I'm really itching or just think I am... But I don't think my mouth can just break out from thinking about it, so that's what I'm trying to watch. I taped some memory foam to my back and slept on it last night and it didn't itch or bother me at all, and there's no mark yet today. I don't really care about memory foam. I only had a pillow and it was nothing special to me. lol

      The only pesticides we have are the cats' flea medicine, but they're strictly indoor cats so they only get treatment every 3 months so that's not likely...

      Gloves might not be a bad idea. My wife and I were thinking about packing them all up for a month to see what happens. It's hard to do that (or find space to store them, at that) so maybe I'll just not touch them, period, for a month and see what happens.

      I really wanted it to be the stupid pillow. T_T I saw people complaining online about a lot of side effects (headaches, joint pain) but not really dermatitis...
       
    18. What can anybody tell me about the sealants used on dolls? Any chance the chemical is in those? It seems like maybe my blank dolls don't irritate me, but the painted up ones (some of them?) do. That might be, like I said, in my head, but it seems like my grittier dolls make my face itch. Like the ones with that gritty sealant. Also maybe my new DollShe Rosen, whose skin itself is gritty though he doesn't have a faceup or anything.

      Okay, I have now emailed or posted on the board for every company I have ever bought a doll from, asking if this specific chemical is used in their resin or faceups. I wonder if any of them will actually reply? lol


      EDIT:

      Response from Granado:
      As our manufacturer has keep the resin formula as the secret, we are sorry that we do not know if our resin have ethylenediamine or not.

      Response from IOS: (I haven't bought from them before, but am planning to.) Hello~ *^^* The resin that we send to you is a product to complete of chemical reactions. (lolwut) If you want the test, we can send a part of product. But shipping cost is yours.

      Response from Soom: Good day! Thank you for your message. I just checked with the person in charge: we do not use this material to cast our resin, and there is no trace of it in our face-up and blushing materials as well. So you can order our dolls without any allergy problem. ^^ If you have more questions, please me know ~ Best regards, Victoria, SOOM

      Response from Fairyland: It appears that chemical similar to ethylene diamine is being used in polyurethane (resin). Its property may change following chemical reaction with other materials during processing, but we cannot say whether or not it will cause allergic reaction. Also, after doing a little research on E-005 chemical, it is likely to be in some paints that doll makeup artists use frequently. Please feel free to contact us if you have any other queries. Regards, FairyLand

      DollShe's response:
      We only use materials authorized by the Korean government. Because we do not specialize in chemicals, we cannot say whether the materials used in faceup includes the chemical about which you're inquiring. However, do not use any chemical that is controlled in Korea. That said, all paints and chemicals do carry health risks. That is why ventilation is so important even when assembling a simple figurine or model.

      Roserin's answer:
      Hello. Our producers do not know details about the allergy. If you are sensitive to chemicals, you do not place it would be great. Sorry for this answer. T T



      Okay, I did a little self-experimenting...and I'm positive now that it is the dolls I'm allergic to. =( I went for about 2 weeks with a non-memory foam pillow and without touching my dolls. My condition completely improved after a couple weeks and I had no rash and no itching or irritation around my mouth. Then Friday night I sat for two hours watching TV with my Ringdoll Sol in my lap. Almost immediately I noticed a burning sensation in my nostrils and my face started itching in various places. I went ahead and scratched, thinking that if it wasn't psychosomatic then I'd be putting my hands on my face after touching resin and I'd know. I woke up Saturday morning with a blister on my bottom lip and today, Sunday, I have little bumps all over my mouth. So...now I know.

      I'm not getting rid of my dolls. I love them too much and spent too much money on them. And I've verified now that I can be in the same room with them without having problems, because I keep them all in my bedroom on display and the room is very small. It's apparently just a problem when they get in close contact with my face. So I'll just see if the drugstores sell medical masks and wear them when I play with the dolls indoors, and not touch my face and wash my hands really well.


      Update: Soom was wrong. I recently received the Labas I ordered a while back, and all I did was open him, dress him, and set him on a shelf. I didn't touch my face and I thoroughly washed my hands afterward. Now for the past several days I've had a rash around my mouth. I didn't wear a mask (though I bought some to test with my other dolls and they don't seem to help anyway) to test out Soom's claim that they don't use the chemical on their dolls, but they were evidently wrong. I have 3 more dolls incoming but I won't be buying any more. For the past month or so I've had my wife change their clothes and pose them and take pictures. I just look at them from across the room and it really isn't that much fun anymore. I may end up getting rid of some of them after all, because I have a couple without faceups and clothes and since I can't handle them at all, it seems, I may as well get rid of them and not waste the money on clothing and faceups. =( I can't believe this happened.