i just got back from the doctor’s. i have swelling in my throat, hands and feet, and im itching like crazy. the doc says its probably an allergic reaction, and i was just wondering if anybody has had such an allergic reaction after painting/spraying/handling modelling supplies- especially maskol, since its latex based. in case you ask, i use tamiya acryls and gunze sangyo rattle cans. i dont airbrush.[:(] i cant do any modelling for the next few days cos my hands are too swollen to handle a brush . darn i hope im not allergic or else i dont know what im going to do if i cant build models [:S]
It sounds as though you may have a latex allergy. This is pretty common so you should try to shy away from latex. Have you ever used Maskol before? If this is your first time I would be willing to bet that is your problem. I hope that you get to feeling better soon.
HEY,
You have to get better, we need you for the young guns vs. old guns thing.lol Well atleast you can still type, so your here.lol
Randy
i agree it sounds like an alergic reaction to latex. hope the swelling goes down in the next day or so.
joe
No more plastic diapers for you, Young Gun… buahahah [:o)]
Just teasing yah, Hope yah get better man…
the doc suggested latex too. just to ask, are rubber gloves latex ? cos i been using rubber gloves for labwork for the past 3 years and no problem. however, i suspected latex immediately after i got the reaction, and so i put a drop of maskol on my forearm and let it dry and stay there for about half an hour - no swelling there. wierd huh ? well the swelling has gone down, and i feel great. cant wait to start some building after my swelling goes down completely ! 
you can develop latex allergies despite using them for years…my wife is a dental hygienist and knows of a few others who were fine for years and then developed nasty allergies to them-- continued exposure for some people causes it. They have different types of lab gloves out there, so you may have to look into those…I am a biology teacher and we usually have to provide two different types of gloves to accomodate those with latex allergies.
Given how maskol is used including quantity, frequency and duration, and how it is applied and its propensity toward direct skin contact, I am somewhat skeptical to that being the cause for your allergic reaction. Similar reactions can occur from eating certain foods, or exposures to other, non-hobby related items: plants, animals (including insect bites), and other chemicals, (including changes in soaps, deodorants, perfumes and after-shaves, etc.) The list is endless. The fact that maskol applied to your skin did not exacerbate or extend your symptoms should be somewhat of an indicator that maskol may have not been the culprit.
But, as Jeeves said, latex allergies do occur. If you wear latex gloves and suspect a latex allergy, switch to nitrile as a glove medium. Most, if not all, of the major hospitals around here have made that change. Nitrile gloves are just like latex in that they are thin, and give excellent tactile feedback just like latex. One of the real benefits of nitrile over latex, is that they don’t degrade nearly as quickly in the presence of many organic solvents, so they are great for protecting your hands when handling paints, thinners, and the like.
Glad to hear you’re on the mend![:)]
Just my opinion,
Gip Winecoff
hmm, maye it is latex. thats an allergy that i can deal with. but i had better not be allergic to anything in the paint - or else i dont know what ill do ! im just praying that it isnt laxtex and im really allergic to school or something like that
Hi Reggie,
You may want your docter to conduct some allergy skin tests, or refer you to a physician whose specialty is allergies. When I was younger (about 11 or 12 years old) my parents were convinced that I was allergic to various modelling materials, chiefly cements and paints. This went on for several years, until I was finally tested…it turned out that I was allergic to mold and mildew, which thrived in our fairly humid (especially in summer) basement; which is where I did all of my modelling. Hope you feel better soon, and are back on your workbench!
You need to be allergy tested to know for sure.Its not bad today to get done compared to yesteryears when you stuck out your arms and they poked you with everything that could cause a reaction.Now they just draw blood one time to find out what you are allergic to.You could also have ate a combonation of food that you might be allergic to and don’t know it.Like me I can’t eat things like chocolate,peanuts,wheat,corn,pork or soy.If I eat a combonation of these foods I break out in red welts from head to toes and have a hard time breathing.So get yourself allergy tested to be sure.Digger
styrene,elfkin, digger, thanks for replying. i am much less apprehsive about being allergic to modelling stuff after reading styrene’s post. hopefully i can stop itching and start on my enzo tomorow !
did your doc put you on benedryl, and if he did were you still taking it when you did your self test? If so that could explain your lack of reaction. However, I totaly agree with the above, you should consult with your physician and have some testing done. One of the problems with allergic reactions is that you may never have them again, or it may be more severe the next time. Isnt the human imune system an amaizing thing!?[:P]
im allergic to canned tomatos, and ive had benedryl before, but when i did my little self test i wasnt on anything - it was the night before i went to the doc’s. the majority of the swelling has gone down, except for my right middle, right pinkie and left big toe and left ankle. stanger by the day ! but im jsut glad its not more serious, and im back to the building
Gip,
I have heard of people having reactions to Nitrile gloves also. Is that true?
Mike
Mike,
I’ve not heard of allergies to nitrile (yet), although people who have multiple chemical sensitities or other predispositions toward chemical allergies could possiby be affected. There could also be a response associated with some of the powders used in those gloves. Nitrile is a synthetic polymer with rubber-like characteristics, whereas latex is a natural product that carries a protein component responsible for most of the allergies–at least, as I understand it.
Gip