handing questions

[zana weber]

looking for tips on handling wheat/gluten containg flours, my job requires the handling of this. I always wear gloves but my concern is the flour getting airborne should I be concerned about breathing this in or getting it absorbed into me some how? I have celiac sprue and am not sure how concerned I should be about avoiding handling of non GF flours. Any knowledge on this subject would be appreciated. also does anyone know if the talc in the latex gloves is GF ? Thats another question im having trouble answering. contact me at zweber79@yahoo.com if you have any thoughts on these subjects. thanks

[aklap]

Hi Zana,

Hmmm interesting question. I have seen conflicting info on skin absorbtion. Some say yes, some say no. Do you have have Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH)? If you do, then I'd say any skin contact would be out of the question.

As far a breathing it in?? I'd say that would be like consuming it. But I have nothing to base that on.

Have you contacted the mfg of the gloves to ask about the talc?

Let me see what I can find out...
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[aklap]

Zana,

I found this about inhaling it.

http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/sn/spnk9801.html

Q: Is it a problem for celiacs to inhale flour dust?

A: (Mary Kay Sharrett) It is not well known how much of a problem
this would be.

(Dr. Murray) Just smelling a gluten product should not be a
problem. However, some of the flour dust that settles on the
nasal passages will eventually get swallowed, which means that
some gluten is consumed and digested.


This about touching it: http://www.autismndi.com/faq/display.asp?content=FAQ&shownews=20040922164318

Do we need to worry about gluten-containing lotions, shampoos, and toothpaste being absorbed through the skin?

Nicotine patches, birth-control patches and other trans-dermal applications of medications are proof that the skin does absorb many things (and pass them to the bloodstream). However, the molecules in gluten are too large to pass through the skin, according to John Zone, MD (a dermatologist quoted in the Spring 2003 issue of Living Without Magazine).
Most often the problem occurs from hand to mouth (i.e. touching playdoh and touching one's face), which is a good reason to avoid giving our kids much access to anything that poses a threat. If your child's school has a sensory table, you can request that it be filled with rice or dried beans, instead of macaroni or gluten grains. Likewise, we suggest that you volunteer to be the Playdough Parent and keep the classroom supplied with a safe version that you don't have to worry about.
We are not too concerned about shampoo, unless you have a child who is likely to try to drink the stuff. But toothpaste is an entirely different matter, since some of it is likely to be ingested, rather than spit out.

A site about DH: http://www.dermatitisherpetiformis.org.uk/whatisdh.html

There is no evidence that gluten in flour or wheat products touching the skin can induce or exacerbate DH or CD.


As I said before - I have seen info saying that gluten CAN be absorbed and some saying NO IT CAN'T be absorbed. I wish I had a definate answer for you.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Deb]

ok--this is experience talking here--my sister was making cut out sugar cookies for her family and just by breathing in the flour she became ill and had diarrhea for several hours--so i say yes, we can get sick just by breathing it in-------also, i had a customer come into the store that i think took a bath in her perfume and it was nasty perfume too, just by breathing that in for what little time it took for her to pay for her gas, i became ill--my face started to feel hot and burn and then swelled a little and it took me probably 6 hours for the reaction to go away--so, yes--just breathing can hurt--i am a wealth of info huh last week i washed my car using shampoo (i read where shampoo is good for cars cause it rinses clean) i decided i should not use on my head--tresemme--it contains gluten--anyways, while washing the car, it splattered on my legs--i didnt rinse it off cause i wasnt thinking--in 1/2 hour i broke out in hives which itched for hours--a cawinkydink--i dont know--you decide deb

[aklap]

I guess thats good enough for me!!

I saw a post on the delphi board that said ANYTHING can be absorbed thru the skin. Deorderent, perfume...you name it. The poster worked for a cosmetics type company. The owner (a doctor) said with the right tests they could determine what deoderent you put on in the morning.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Guest]

[Professor]

[Deb]

Right--exactly right. I have a friend who is celiac--she just had her hair trimmed and the lady went to spray hairspray on her--she said--"Don't please!" Was too late--she read the ingredients and sure enough--2 wheat ingreds--she was glutened by breathing through her nose. We have to be careful! Deb

[le0pizza]

My husband and i own a resaturant for which i now call it my Gluten Factory. MY son who is 4 was just diagnosed with celiac and now we are wondering about him being in the kitchen at the restaurant. We make all our own pasta, breads and pizza dough for our gourmet pizzas and we use only the highest gluten flour there is--Ha Ha!. We have been told he should never even walk another foot in the kitchen. We are to wondering how serious this subject is?

[Professor]