Re: I can't build anymore

Posted by Mark Camp on Sep 3, 2004

I did not dispute that it can be cumulative; I said it isn't necessarily so, since it can hit you on the second exposure.

There seems to be a lot of public confusion about epoxy allergies, but it is really pretty simple.

To have an allergic reaction to a given chemical in an epoxy hardener formulation, or to anything else, goes like this:

1. YOU ARE BORN. You were either born with the ability to create antibodies for a given chemical, or you weren't. If you weren't, you will never be allergic to that one chemical, no matter how much you are exposed.

2. SENSITIZATION. If you were, then you've got cells in your body that are waiting your whole life long, sniffing for that one chemical contained in MAS or West or whatever hardener, and no other. When they see it the first time, they tell your body to start manufacturing antibodies for that one chemical into your blood. That is why you usually don't get the reaction on the first exposure: you don't have any antibodies yet.

3. ALLERGIC REACTION. On the second or later exposure, you have manufactured enough antibodies in your blood to latch on to the chemical, and the combination of antibody and chemical is what triggers your body to start an allergic reaction--a defense against foreign substances.

In Response to: Re: I can't build anymore by LeeG on Sep 2, 2004

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