Epoxy resins and their monomer, bisphenol A, are very allergenic products that must be handled with great care, reminds the French Society of Dermatology (SFD) as the end-of-year holidays approach.
“Many videos are circulating with Epoxy resins that can be purchased online to make transparent plastic objects yourself to which it is possible to add inclusions or dyes”reports a press release from the learned society which “strongly advises against” the numerous commercialized kits of creative games for children based on Epoxy.
Contact allergies to Epoxy resins are acute eczemas, “the skin is swollen, red, itchy and covered with small blisters of transparent fluid. On the swollen and red face, there is often significant edema of the eyelids.describes the press release. This allergy is called delayed, there is no associated risk of immediate allergy (urticaria, angioedema, anaphylactic shock).
Contact allergies to Epoxy are very well known; the substance is also part of the list of 31 allergens most often involved in triggering contact eczema in Europe.
Very volatile liquid form
Epoxy resin in liquid form is volatile and allergenic. After mixing with a second product, called the catalyst, the monomers (bisphenol A) will polymerize in long chains to transform into a transparent, hard and very solid object. There is no longer any allergenic risk when the product has hardened.
While there is no predisposing reason for allergies to Epoxy, “anyone can become allergic”we do not know how to desensitize people with contact eczema. “An allergy to Epoxy resins will last a lifetime”, alerts the SFD adding that“a child sensitized to Epoxy will therefore be closed off from professional access to certain professions where it is necessary to handle these resins which are widely used in industry or the building trades. »
It is very difficult to effectively protect yourself from contact with these resins, the press release emphasizes. “ When they are not polymerized, they are very volatile, lit-on. As a result, a person who handles epoxy resins may have eczema on the hands but also on all parts of the body not protected by thick clothing, particularly the forearms, face and neck. Latex rubber gloves and cotton clothing do not protect! ».
The treatment of acute eczema due to epoxy resins is based on corticosteroid creams but may require systemic corticosteroids. A dermato-allergological assessment by patch tests must then be carried out to demonstrate the responsibility of the resin.
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