Brass Allergy

[Geof]

Does anyone have any links about sensitivity or allergy to brass?

[js412000]

I have read about "metal fume fever", caused by exposure to fumes when welding copper.

[Eurisko]

Geof,

While I don't have a sensitivity to it, I do have the unusual ability to tarnish brass just by touching it.

The brass starts to discolor within minutes.

It wouldn't surprise me if a similar chemical reaction caused health problems in others.

[marky]

Metal fume fever or galvanic poisoning are caused by the zinc in the brass burning ,this is why if you are doing a lot of brazing it should be carried out in a well ventilated area,over obsorbsion of zinc fume can lead to lung disorders ,it is also obsorbed into the stomach resulting in stomach cramps and dioreahand has flu like symptoms .
Mark

[ImanCarrot]

My girlfriend plays violin in a few bands and a couple of orchestras. She mentioned to me some time ago that brass allergy was not unheard of in the orchestra- for example on trombone, trumpet etc. players would tell of itching on their lips, symptoms ranged from this slight itching to severe redness and puffiness of the lips and surrounding facial areas. Some brass players fingers would go green (this was considered a nice thing as you were a member of a kinda club...).

It also seems that if the laquer on the brass mouthpiece is broken then the irritation only happens in the area where the laquer is broken (ie bottom lip/ top lip as the mouthpiece was rotated) suggesting a definate brass allergy.

One particular player (can't remember what he played) said that his lips were that "numb" he required a longer warmup period and that it definately affected his performance due to numbness...

Perhaps a good business opportunity to make mouthpieces out of ceramic? They already make them from plastic, but can you see someone playing with the Scottish Chamber Orchstra with a plastic mouthpiece? Ceramic sounds much more aesteticaly acceptable (and costlier hehe).

[Edit]Incidentaly, there was a king or something somewhere of old who commisioned an engineer/ artist to contruct a brass bull in which he would place defeated opponents (or whomever he didn't like more likely) and roast them alive... the bull was so cunningly constructed that the victim's screams sounded like a bull bellowing apparently. When done, the victims bones were used as jewelry- I assume because they were coated in bronze. As a twist in this tale, the chap who constructed it was the first person who was stuck in it. I can't recall whether this was in the Illiad or some other Howmer tale, but I do remember reading it somewhere.. I should say this was a BIG bronze allergy lol (sorry for going off topic [/edit]

[Re-Edit]Found it on Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull
[/re-Edit]

[Geof]

....[Edit]Incidentaly, there was a king or something somewhere of old who commisioned an engineer/ artist to contruct a brass bull in which he would place defeated opponents (or whomever he didn't like more likely) and roast them alive...

The things one can learn on this forum...incredible!!!! .

I had read about the brass allergy among musicians and also the zinc fever.

Thanks for the comments and educational links.

[epineh]

One more to add, my teenage daughter has a definate allergy to stainless steel, as in whenever she is asked to do the dishes (in the S/S sink) she breaks out in a cold sweat and races to the toilet...not sure if there are any other documented cases of this

The purchase of a dishwasher seems to have eased the symptoms though.

Russell.

[tk6502]

Not usuall an allergy, but what is technically known as contact dermatitis - as brass has copper-tin-zinc-lead and other trace elements in it there is a high chance of having a skin reaction to this. I say skin reaction becuase my assumption is that you are not inhaling welding fumes? If you are not wearing air protection, then shame on you -

Dermal contact with brass causing a rash is likly do to the copper content- wear gloces or apply barrier cream prior to working with the brass.
Tom