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Weirdly enough, the food safety of urushiol was the topic of this recent and heavily discussed HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40399224 https://ne

by elihu 2y ago

Weirdly enough, the food safety of urushiol was the topic of this recent and heavily discussed HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40399224 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40399224 I can't say I have any desire to try it myself.

fellerts 2y ago
I'm not a doctor/chemist, but as far as I understand, the polymerization of urushiol renders it hard and inert. Your thread discusses contact with raw urushiol as found in poison ivy, cashew sap (and apparently mangos) which is indeed known to cause allergic rashes in most humans. I'm not saying that kintsugi is definitely food-safe, but it's an important distinction. Side-note: I did get some raw urushi on my fingers while working on this project, but nothing happened. Perhaps I'm immune.
- throwup238 2y ago
  > Side-note: I did get some raw urushi on my fingers while working on this project, but nothing happened. Perhaps I'm immune. Might also be enough mechanical rubbing on fingertips during normal use that it mostly scrubs off. Whenever I feel it coming on from Urushi or accidentally touching poison ivy in nature, I rub it with water and course sand/dirt which seems to get rid of the urushiol.
  - qwerpy 2y ago
    How do you “feel it coming on”? Would love to develop a sense for it so I can save myself from days of discomfort.
    - throwup238 2y ago
      I have sensitive skin so I start to itch shortly after contact and it builds from there. If I get it scrubbed off fast enough after exposure, I can usually prevent full contact dermatitis from setting in. Urushi is more of a pain in the ass because its made from the sap, but Windsor and Newton artguard barrier cream seems to really help. Ideally apply it before use but it helps washing it off too if you forget.
  - elihu 2y ago
    Tecnu seems to help quite a bit in my experience.
- abakker 2y ago
  A lot of people seem immune the first time. My mom thought she was immune to poison ivy, but after years of contact she became increasingly sensitized. Now she gets a rash of the cat has been walking through it.
- IIsi50MHz 2y ago
  > Side-note: I did get some raw urushi on my fingers while working on this project, but nothing happened. Perhaps I'm immune. Somewhat the opposite. To be immune to it, your immune system would likely have to tolerate the authentication failure this substance causes after binding to a cell…which could be Bad in many other ways. A likely explanation is that you removed the substance before an immune response could be mounted. Molecules of the contaminant bind to skin cells around 15 minutes after contact. The affected cells are disrupted only in that they can no longer provide the appropriate response when challenged by an immune cell. When a cell cannot be identified as a member of the host, a chemical signal is released which tells killer immune cells to congregate and kill everything in the area. This attack mounted by the immune system is the source of the irritation. It can be mitigated by antihistamine (somewhat), lower temperatures (somewhat, espeically on the verge of shivering), steroid injection (strongly). Note that recontamination is the most common cause of "spread". Only a single molecule is enough to cause a reaction. Contaminated clothing and surfaces can still bear the oil after multiple washings.

by elihu 2y ago

fellerts 2y ago

I'm not a doctor/chemist, but as far as I understand, the polymerization of urushiol renders it hard and inert. Your thread discusses contact with raw urushiol as found in poison ivy, cashew sap (and apparently mangos) which is indeed known to cause allergic rashes in most humans. I'm not saying that kintsugi is definitely food-safe, but it's an important distinction. Side-note: I did get some raw urushi on my fingers while working on this project, but nothing happened. Perhaps I'm immune.

throwup238 2y ago
> Side-note: I did get some raw urushi on my fingers while working on this project, but nothing happened. Perhaps I'm immune. Might also be enough mechanical rubbing on fingertips during normal use that it mostly scrubs off. Whenever I feel it coming on from Urushi or accidentally touching poison ivy in nature, I rub it with water and course sand/dirt which seems to get rid of the urushiol.
- qwerpy 2y ago
  How do you “feel it coming on”? Would love to develop a sense for it so I can save myself from days of discomfort.
  - throwup238 2y ago
    I have sensitive skin so I start to itch shortly after contact and it builds from there. If I get it scrubbed off fast enough after exposure, I can usually prevent full contact dermatitis from setting in. Urushi is more of a pain in the ass because its made from the sap, but Windsor and Newton artguard barrier cream seems to really help. Ideally apply it before use but it helps washing it off too if you forget.
- elihu 2y ago
  Tecnu seems to help quite a bit in my experience.
abakker 2y ago
A lot of people seem immune the first time. My mom thought she was immune to poison ivy, but after years of contact she became increasingly sensitized. Now she gets a rash of the cat has been walking through it.
IIsi50MHz 2y ago
> Side-note: I did get some raw urushi on my fingers while working on this project, but nothing happened. Perhaps I'm immune. Somewhat the opposite. To be immune to it, your immune system would likely have to tolerate the authentication failure this substance causes after binding to a cell…which could be Bad in many other ways. A likely explanation is that you removed the substance before an immune response could be mounted. Molecules of the contaminant bind to skin cells around 15 minutes after contact. The affected cells are disrupted only in that they can no longer provide the appropriate response when challenged by an immune cell. When a cell cannot be identified as a member of the host, a chemical signal is released which tells killer immune cells to congregate and kill everything in the area. This attack mounted by the immune system is the source of the irritation. It can be mitigated by antihistamine (somewhat), lower temperatures (somewhat, espeically on the verge of shivering), steroid injection (strongly). Note that recontamination is the most common cause of "spread". Only a single molecule is enough to cause a reaction. Contaminated clothing and surfaces can still bear the oil after multiple washings.