Allergy to Ash trees

[skyhuck]

I appear to have developed an allergy to Ash trees, when climbing and cutting Ash I develop a pretty nasty looking rash, quite large raised angry looking lumps starting on my head or shoulders and developing further down my body. The more cutting I do the worse it seems to get. I feel absolutely fine, other than the rash.

 

Antihistamines soon clear it up, but I don't like taking them when working as they cause drowsiness.

 

I've taken to wearing a dust mask when cutting, all the time not just Ash as I do get sinus trouble and my father who was a joiner had problems with sawdust.

 

So far the mask is working well, I dismantled a pretty large Ash yesterday and had only a very few spots at the end of the day.

 

Has anyone else had or know of similar?

[inthewoods]

Had a bad reaction on my forearms & belly thinning an ash plantation a few months back, couldn't work out what caused it, clearing through brambles etc & wasn't sure if I'd Splatterbonged some hogweed, the trees didn't look in the best of health though so, who knows?!

 

Has it only happened in the same location or is it definitely all ash trees?

[skyhuck]

Had a bad reaction on my forearms & belly thinning an ash plantation a few months back, couldn't work out what caused it, clearing through brambles etc & wasn't sure if I'd Splatterbonged some hogweed, the trees didn't look in the best of health though so, who knows?!

 

Has it only happened in the same location or is it definitely all ash trees?

 

The rash has be occurring on and off for the last 6 weeks or so. Presumed it was a food allergy. Then one day it was way worse, went to doctor, he said it was defiantly an allergy, probable food.

 

I've been keeping a check of what I eat, but there has been no correlation between any food and the appearance of the rash and then the penny dropped every day I had had the rash I had been working Ash.

[inthewoods]

Sure it's not the first human case of Chalara?... Sorry, couldn't resist it!

 

Hope you get it sorted :-)

[SteveA]

Not heard of ash allergies until now. Was the tree covered in Ivy or some other rambling irritant??

cheers, steve

[SteveA]

Sure it's not the first human case of Chalara?... Sorry, couldn't resist it!

 

Hope you get it sorted :-)

 

Had the same thought.

Pizza tonight?

cheers, steve

[skyhuck]

Sure it's not the first human case of Chalara?... Sorry, couldn't resist it!

 

Hope you get it sorted :-)

 

Hehe, no healthy trees

 

I googled it and apparently as Ash is the same family as Olive, its known to affect some.

 

I guess after years of inhaling the dust, plus getting it in my eye's etc, I've just developed an allergy. Its no big deal and in the long run the mask will probably be a positive thing. Think of all that chain oil I'm not going to ingest.

 

The only downside I have so far encountered is that communicating from the tree with the mask on is not easy.

[skyhuck]

Not heard of ash allergies until now. Was the tree covered in Ivy or some other rambling irritant??

cheers, steve

 

Not just one tree.

[SteveA]

What mask do you use?

I got one of these a little while ago - the filters can be clicked shut to test the seal of the mask..... simple idea but works great.... mine doesn't seal very well if I get a bit long on the beard.

JSP Force 8 Mask Respirator with Press-to-Check Filters P3 | Filters | Screwfix.com

cheers, steve

[inthewoods]

Got to a point in the summer where I nearly started wearing a mask due to being so tight chested & snotty nosed from all the saw dust but I've given up smoking now and taken my rakers right down ;-) still it can't be good for us though, I know a couple of 60 year old + Tree fellers and they suffer badly from woodmans lung :-( so what kind of mask is it?