PROLONGED and regular use of a cellphone can lead to an allergic reaction. This is due to the nickel, a common contact allergen, often found in the buttons, headsets and LCD screens of cellphones.
A recent study done in New York by researcher Tania Mucci tested 72 used cellphones from a number of different manufacturers. She found that some, including Blackberries and flip phones, tested positive for nickel or cobalt, both known allergens, unlike iPhones and Motorola smartphones which do not have physical keypads.
She found the phones that tested positive mostly were those where the metal was exposed due to heavy wear.
Pharmaceutical company Pharma Dynamics said in the past months it had fielded numerous calls on their allergy helpline from the public enquiring whether their cellphones were to blame for the itchy, red bumps and blisters along their jaws, cheeks and ears.
The Dispatch put the question to its Facebook followers.
Vho Naledi wrote: “Not a serial talker, but a serial presser, and yes I have experienced itching on my jawline.”
Other users were worried about the question while some indicated they have had other problems using their mobile devises, so much so that they had resorted to using the speakerphone option when on the line, a strategy Pharma Dynamics endorses.
Mariska Fouche, the company’s spokeswoman said: “While it is often referred to as cellphone allergy, it is actually a nickel allergy. If you consider the average cellphone user makes or receives an average of 22 phone calls a day and checks their phone every six-and-a-half minutes, the prolonged exposure to nickel … can be the likely cause of the allergy.
“Even though there aren’t any statistics available for South Africa, experts suggest that figures are comparable with that of the United Kingdom, where one in 10 people suffers from nickel allergy,” she said.
Contact with other nickel-containing objects like keys and coins are brief, Fouche said, so the allergy may not become apparent immediately. The risk grows with frequent and prolonged exposure from objects like jewellery and cellphones.
“Women are more likely than men to develop the allergy, because they were possibly sensitised earlier in life when they had their ears pierced, which can introduce nickel into their blood stream and break down the body’s natural resistance,” she said.
A lot of people are susceptible to nickel allergies because the metal dissolves in moisture, forming salts causing the skin to become inflamed.
Symptoms of allergic reactions to metal include redness, itching, swelling, blistering, skin lesions and eczema. Oozing and scarring may also occur and consulting a doctor is advised.
For cellphone users with a nickel allergy Fouche advised using a wireless earpiece, the speaker phone, putting a phone cover and a clear film screen on the device, or switching to a phone that doesn’t contain metal on surfaces that are likely to make contact with your skin. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
Cellphone users might develop nickel allergies
A recent study done in New York by researcher Tania Mucci tested 72 used cellphones from a number of different manufacturers. She found that some, including Blackberries and flip phones, tested positive for nickel or cobalt, both known allergens, unlike iPhones and Motorola smartphones which do not have physical keypads.
She found the phones that tested positive mostly were those where the metal was exposed due to heavy wear.
Pharmaceutical company Pharma Dynamics said in the past months it had fielded numerous calls on their allergy helpline from the public enquiring whether their cellphones were to blame for the itchy, red bumps and blisters along their jaws, cheeks and ears.
The Dispatch put the question to its Facebook followers.
Vho Naledi wrote: “Not a serial talker, but a serial presser, and yes I have experienced itching on my jawline.”
Other users were worried about the question while some indicated they have had other problems using their mobile devises, so much so that they had resorted to using the speakerphone option when on the line, a strategy Pharma Dynamics endorses.
Mariska Fouche, the company’s spokeswoman said: “While it is often referred to as cellphone allergy, it is actually a nickel allergy. If you consider the average cellphone user makes or receives an average of 22 phone calls a day and checks their phone every six-and-a-half minutes, the prolonged exposure to nickel … can be the likely cause of the allergy.
“Even though there aren’t any statistics available for South Africa, experts suggest that figures are comparable with that of the United Kingdom, where one in 10 people suffers from nickel allergy,” she said.
Contact with other nickel-containing objects like keys and coins are brief, Fouche said, so the allergy may not become apparent immediately. The risk grows with frequent and prolonged exposure from objects like jewellery and cellphones.
“Women are more likely than men to develop the allergy, because they were possibly sensitised earlier in life when they had their ears pierced, which can introduce nickel into their blood stream and break down the body’s natural resistance,” she said.
A lot of people are susceptible to nickel allergies because the metal dissolves in moisture, forming salts causing the skin to become inflamed.
Symptoms of allergic reactions to metal include redness, itching, swelling, blistering, skin lesions and eczema. Oozing and scarring may also occur and consulting a doctor is advised.
For cellphone users with a nickel allergy Fouche advised using a wireless earpiece, the speaker phone, putting a phone cover and a clear film screen on the device, or switching to a phone that doesn’t contain metal on surfaces that are likely to make contact with your skin. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
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