Does soap making bother your asthma?

[AnnaMarie]

So I don't know if there are any people with asthma here, but I thought I'd throw this question out. Twenty years ago I was a bit asthmatic, but no real issues. Fast forward to my forties I'm now on the cusp of being a full fledged asthmatic and being treated. This just cropped up in the last few months when I really ramped up my soap making. I generally mix my lye water outside and try to keep my head averted. Hmmmm, maybe there's no connection, but I thought I'd ask around and see if anyone else struggles with this. I'll definitely ask my doctor at my next check up!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[boyago]

I'm curious to here what your dr. says. Athsma has so many possible triggers it might be hard to nail down what your reacting to in the soap closet.

 

[Derpina Bubbles]

I've had the lye fumes blown towards me more than a few times when mixing the solution outside and every time I've ended up with asthma. Doing a pencil line with mica or just using mica in general can also trigger asthma in me. I now wear a mask when mixing lye and handling mica. I look like I've gone to the dork side but it beats coughing my lung up. I also mix my lye/water under an extraction fan now too. No more sudden wind changes when mixing my solution unless I've fed the family beans the night before.

 

[cmzaha]

The eo's and fo's can severly trigger my daughters asthma if she happens to come over when I am soaping. My daughter has been a severe asthmatic since age 5. You may need to wear a respirator, a good one not a cheapie respirator

 

[AnnaMarie]

I'd better get a mask.

 

[Derpina Bubbles]

Good point about the EOs and FOs. My Mum reacts to them too. Yep get yourself a smexy mask so you can keep on soaping.

 

[jcatblum]

I spent 2 days fighting my asthma after soaping with Almond FO. Some scents seem to bother me like crazy, but others don't I hold my breathe or try my best not to inhale when I am mixing the lye. It really doesn't bother me much.

 

[Lin]

I wear a basic dust/medical mask and mix the lye outdoors. I've only ever scented one soap batch, I do know the scents would definitely bother my asthma. I'd like to be able to use scents for soap to sell but not sure how that will ever work out. I do know I'll stick to EOs, but I still react to those sometimes with asthma and skin issues. I take some strong preventative medications though so with what I do so far no it hasn't affected my asthma.

 

[DeeAnna]

My husband is sensitive to smoke and some fragrances. I don't think it's asthma, but there are some similarities. If I get a new fragrance oil, I'll ask him to sniff a drop. If he's sensitive to it, his throat instantly closes up and his voice turns funny. I made soap once with an FO that he's sensitive to, and even at the low dose of fragrance in the soap he still reacted to the FO.

So I've decided to not soap with FOs that don't pass the "Chuck test". Unfortunately that's about 1 out of every 2 or 3 FOs I've purchased, so it is getting rather expensive. The risk of making him even more sensitive is just not worth it, however. He doesn't have much sensitivity to essential oils, thankfully.

 

[boyago]

"Chuck test"

Feel free to send me anything that fails the test.

 

[Dennis]

Asthma is nothing to mess with. Get a real mask that can be effective for many different chemicals. You never know...

 

[Candybee]

My story may put this in another perspective for you. For many years I smoked and it wasn't until I got a smokers cough and passed out coughing one time I realized I had to quit ASAP. So I kicked the habit in 2006 and have been cigarette free ever since. The same year I started making candles and after a few years I noticed I got a cough again on candlemaking days.

The point is I bought a respirator to use when making candles. I always wear it when mixing in FOs in my melted wax. Then when I started making soap I just automatically put it on when I am mixing lye. I notice that after I finish mixing the lye if I take my mask off too soon before the immediate vicinity is free of lye fumes I get that cough again. The chemicals we use in making soap and candles can be very caustic to our lungs and my cough is always a warning to me to be careful, wear my respirator, and don't breathe the air until the area is fume free.

 

[DeeAnna]

Depending on what you are doing, be sure to choose the right respirator.

Fumes, mists, and particulates need a high efficiency particulate respirator (or cartridge). This kind of respirator looks like pleated paper or a thick spongy mat. You can get the disposable kind that look like white cups that fit over the mouth and nose. They will have at least two elastic bands to hold the mask firmly onto the face. Or you can get a "half face" respirator like the one Dennis has and put a particulate cartridge on it. Either one is fine as long as it's OSHA, MSA, or NIOSH rated for particulate removal. Oftentimes this kind of respirator will work okay for lye mists, but check to make sure -- don't take my word for it.

No particulate respirator will remove organic vapors. Organic vapors (FOs, EOs, fats, solvents, etc.) need a specific organic vapor respirator (or cartridge). It usually contains activated carbon, similar to what people use to purify water in aquariums. Organic vapor cartridges usually have particulate removal too, so you're killing 2 birds with one respirator. Dennis' respirator is a "half face" respirator with disposable cartridges that are probably of this type. Discard this type of respirator whenever you smell the organic vapor when wearing the mask -- the smell tells you the removal system is no longer working and you need new cartridges.

A thin white "nuisance dust respirator" with a single thin elastic band to hold it onto the face is about as effective as tying a handkerchief over your nose. If you want serious protection, look for OSHA, MSA, or NIOSH approved respirators that are rated to specifically remove the stuff you don't want to breathe.

 

[AnnaMarie]

Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm glad to have an answer to my question. I'll be going to look for a good mask SOON.
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[Lindy]

I use a mask when mixing my lye otherwise it triggers my asthma...

 

[seven]

I dont hv asthma, but i see a good point on wearing a mask. I sometimes forgot (read: too lazy) to put on a proper soaping attire (gloves, mask, apron, glasses), and my mum (bless her soul) never gets tired for yelling about this and makes me wear them.

Who knows the effect of all those stuff (lye fumes, td, micas, etc) to our body. Not to mention i make mp bases too, which involves fumes from all the chemicals.

 

[cmzaha]

I have a few eo's and some fo's that give me instant migraines and make my face very itchy. Usually eo's bother my itchy allergies more than synthetics. You just never know. Since I am allergic to many things that grow it makes sense that eo's bother me more than fo's

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Who knows the effect of all those stuff (lye fumes, td, micas, etc) to our body...."

Yeah, I hear you! I'm always amazed at the number of people who are adamant about "not using chemicals" in their soap and other B&B products. Uh, okay, like fer shure, dude. As if lye and water and fats and EOs and FOs aren't "chemicals", some of which can quickly and permanently injure one's health if not handled properly.

I have to bite my lip sometimes. <sigh>

 

[DeeAnna]

I did some more reading.

If you want protection only for lye mist, I would choose an "N100" or "P100" respirator. This respirator removes 99.97% of the dust/mist in the air that you breathe, assuming the respirator is fitted properly to your face. There are respirators with less stringent N95 ratings, but you really, really do want to get the higher N100 or P100 rating to properly handle lye mist.

3M's disposable 8233 respirator is N100 rated at under $10 each: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MCV43K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

3M also makes several reusable facepieces that can be fitted with suitable cartridges. The facepiece I use sells on Amazon for under $20 already fitted with a P100 cartridge: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AR63OGE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 These facepieces come in sizes; many women will want the small facepiece.

There are other reputable manufacturers to choose from -- just look for a respirator with the N100 or P100 rating and, in the USA, a NIOSH/OSHA approval. I replace particulate cartridges when they get hard to breathe through or when they look dirty, whichever comes first.

****

If you also want protection against inhaling FOs and EOs as well as lye mist, you will need an organic vapor respirator as well as N100 or P100 particulate removal. This kind of respirator doesn't come in a disposable style; you have to go to a reusable facepiece like the one in the second link (above) and install the correct cartridge (below) on the facepiece.

One possibility if you don't have huge health issues with EOs or FOs and don't work with them a lot -- you could use an N100 or P100 particulate cartridge with the added ability to remove small amounts of "nuisance organic vapors". Here's a 3M cartridge rated for N100 particulates and for nuisance organic vapors: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00328IAO0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If you do have serious health issues with EOs or FOs or are working with EOs and FOs a lot, you should consider a full-fledged heavy-duty organic vapor cartridge. This is the kind of cartridge I use when spraying lacquer. This 3M cartridge removes organic vapors AND is N100 rated for particulates: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002D8ZR5K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If at any time you can smell the organic odor through the respirator, the cartridges are spent and you need to replace them immediately.

Hope this helps!

 

[grayceworks]

Well, I have pretty severe asthma and I notice if I forget the stove fan, or forget to hold my breath when checking on the lye, then later in the day I will be more wheezy than usual. I'm not allergic to most EO's, however since I do a lot of HP, I am usually adding them to still very warm cooked soap batter, and if I haven't let the soap cool quite enough, I have gotten a face full of EO steam. Yuck! And wheezy! Even with a mask. (a Geranium Rose steam facial isn't as lovely as it might sound)