From time to time, woodworkers have said “There are two kinds of people. Those who are allergic to cocobolo, and those who will be.”
It’s true.
I’ve worked with it in the past, with zero issues. I’ve never been allergic to anything in my life, until a few months back some plywood from Lowes made my head fill up and nose run like crazy.
A week or two ago I bought a couple of pieces of cocobolo from a local yard. They had more of it in one place than I’ve ever seen. I got a piece of 8/4 and a 4/4. Only about 4 BF in all.
I had a rash on my arms the next day, but didn’t make a connection. I didn’t cut it or anything. Just carried it home.
A few days later I started working it. Just some bandsaw cuts. Had the dust collector on, and a mask. The next day I had a rash in a bunch of places, and felt like I had pinkeye. My eyes are still puffed up, and all around where the respirator was is broken out. I itch like crazy.
So, believe the old adage. I won’t go near the stuff again.
Replies
Sorry to hear it & best wishes for a quick recovery..
Please ship it to me!
If you want to come up to eastern MA, it's yours. Bring gloves. It's up between the ceiling joists, and I ain't touching it again. Here's where I got it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpkgnSJWRB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I did a little reading and cocobolo is not just an allergen, it's listed as a sensitizer. I'm gonna pass on both your generous offer AND the 4-hour drive. Considering your reaction you might be better off getting it out of your home.
Just like the formaldehyde in plywood glue. You can go for years without a problem, then suddenly you're sensitized to it.
I went to the doc a few years ago feeling bad. The doctor said it was allergies. I said "I have never had allergies". He said "You have never been this old before"! Guess things change over time.
I love simple Dr. answers like that. I complained about my knee hurting recently and my Dr. just said, "Ya, you're getting to the age where things don't magically get better anymore". OOoofff
At my annual physical last week, my doctor, who had just gotten my blood tests back, 1st asked me if I’ve filled out a medical advance directive for health care. I asked why he was asking me right before he gave me my test results. :-)
My doc is top notch cardiologist and a funny guy. Last time I saw him he said "You're 59 years old, I'd like to see that number come down". Thanks doc!
If you dig through this forum, there was an individual who had a bad allergic reaction to walnut. It took the doctors a long time to figure out what it was. Good that you quickly made the connection. I've had a few woods (mesquite was one and I forget the other) where I felt mild allergies. Fortunately, nothing has yet happened with the woods I like to use frequently.
Sorry to hear that. Sadly there probably isn't much to be done. Once sensitive to something it pretty much stays. There is some interesting work being done with combining probiotics and allergens but I very much doubt that this will be tried with cocobolo any time soon.
One thing that I will mention is that if you get exposed to a sensitiser through the skin, the body tends to identify it as external and therefore a threat against which to create a response. Peanut for instance is ubiquitous in the environment and trying to avoid giving it to children for fear of allergy increases the risk of peanut allergy. The received wisdom is that the body gets the peanut in the skin anyway so it is better to get early exposure in the mouth.
Maybe if you had chewed a bit the first time this would not have happened? Seriously though - NOT recommending this (and especially not now you are sensitive as it might cause a fatal reaction) but it's 'food for thought'
So, if we have our children eat from cocobolo bowls, they'll be safe later on? We should set up a study. Double blind.
I can't advise that, but it might be interesting to try!
Allergic reactions to wood species is no joke. As someone who has worked with wood for over 50 years I can attest to this. I have become more vigilant over time. Whenever I work with exotics or anything like cedar, particularly. After any sanding operations, (with a mask and Mirka setup), I immediately wash all exposed skin, eye rinse and saline nasal spray. It’s a bit of an inconvenience but beats the rashes, nasal congestion and conjunctivitis.
As someone who has never had an allergy (any allergy)(yet), how does it work with wood? Is it just the dust, or any kind of handling sets it off? Also curious, I assume that once the project is done and finished with finish, whatever the irritant is is safely contained?
P.s. nevermind I just re-read John_c2s original post. Contact alone is enough to set it off :O