Anything that we do there must be consequences ahead. So as when we do experiments and playing with chemicals there are also consequences and risks that we should take. Whether it is health conditions and much more. Even a small mistake, can do long-term harm to you when it comes to chemicals. Pouring the wrong chemicals in the wrong order or even wrong portion might give you different results.
Imagine you’re just not focused and pouring chemicals A before B, not knowing that such order might cause explosion. How scary would that be, working recklessly in a laboratory with chemicals. That’s why in anything we do, safety should come first. That explains pretty much why there are so much lab rules that we have to obey even before we enter the laboratory. That’s also why not everyone can enter a chemistry lab without proper knowledge about chemistry.
The common accidents happen in laboratories are mostly caused by lack of knowledge and lack of cautions. It’s whether you know the rules but trespassing it, or not knowing at all that you unintentionally put yourself at risk. Mostly, health or specifically, skin problems, that can comes along are from direct contact with chemicals through skin, be it intentional or unintentional.
Although it is in liquid, gas, or solid form, skin will always be the first organs to contact with it before any other organs do, right? That’s why a proper safety cover are needed in laboratories, if you want to work and keep yourself safe.
This article will gives you the effects of skin contact with chemicals that might comes along, so that in the future hopefully you won’t ever had to experienced these.
Effects of Skin Contact with Chemicals
Just like how falling from a bicycle might leave you with bruises and scars, exposure with chemicals that are not supposed to be in contact with your skin might as well leave ‘something’ for you. If you’re wondering about what are the effects and how badly can they affect you, it’s actually all depends on the exposure and the type of chemicals. Different chemicals give different effects. Corrosive chemicals might leave your skin burned or getting blister, while other chemicals might leave your skin with other skin problems.
Here are few effects of skin contact with chemicals that possibly occurs :
1.Dryness
Dry skin could cause by several conditions, it could be the effects of stress in skin, dehydration, dry weather, often take a hot shower, exposure to chemicals, etc. Exposure to chemical can caused dry skin, for it will remove oil on your skin. It takes moisture and humidity in your skin makes it dry and itchy. Just give it moisturizers daily to turned it back to its normal skin condition.
2.Redness
Red skin because of contact with chemicals are pretty common in laboratories or daily life. Usually redness on our skin will not last long, but it is could be really annoying and sore at the same time. Stay no contact with some chemicals substance for a while which could cause redness, so that the redness will heal quickly.
3.Burn scars
This effects is one of the most common thing happens when contact with chemicals and it is also one of the most scared effect when we play with chemicals, because it will break our skin tissue and cause painful burn scars. Usually, burn scars occurs when skin directly contacted by strong acid or strong bases.
4.Loss of skin color
Some chemicals substance could cause permanent loss of skin pigment. It will leave our skin fills with several hypopigmentation dots on the area which affected. Loss of skin color happens because of chemical substances such as disinfectants, tar, and such.
5.Cracking
Irritants is a chemical substance which could cause irritation. Cracking skin could happen because our skin have contact with irritants substance such as fiber glass, soaps, or even as the bad effects of dehydration on skin. When our skin cracked, it will easily peeled and cause redness and itchy on the area affected.
6.Madish
Madish or we usually known as chloracne, is a skin condition where skin become bumpy and pores get bigger. When pores get bigger, bacteria could grow easily in your pores and turned into blackheads. Madish happen when our body directly contacts with herbicides, and such. It could occur through skin, inhalation, or ingestion routes.
7.Skin cancer
When it comes to chemicals, we do need to be really careful and understand the characteristics of chemicals that we are playing with. Some chemicals substances are harmless and some are pretty dangerous until it could cause skin cancer. Chemical substance which could cause cancer, called carcinogens. It will formed tumors on the area where the chemicals contacted the skin and later on, giving few signs you have skin cancer.
8.More sensitive
When our skin often expose to chemicals, it will get more sensitive each time, a bit alike with the effects of skin dermabrasion. It will turned to allergic easily when our skin getting more sensitive. Wear safety props needed to maintain safety.
9.Irritant contact dermatitis
When you comes in contact with chemicals that you’re not supposed to touch, your skin might reacts in a way that manifests as an inflammation. Few chemicals that might trigger are acids, bases, cleaning agents, etc.
Other Effects (10-15)
Here are few other effects that might occurs after a skin contact with chemicals :
- Allergic contact dermatitis : It’s not only irritation, but it might also be allergy. When in contact with chemicals, different people with different skin types might gives allergic reactions.
- Skin infections : If your skin is damaged by the contact occurs with chemicals, then it might become irritated, especially if the chemical is corrosive.
- Blister : When in contact with corrosive materials, your skin might get blister from it.
- Itchiness : As your skin being damaged, it might feels itchy, which mostly comes along with redness and dryness as well.
- Swelling : Watch out as it might come in a package with redness, dryness, and itchiness.
- Permanent scar : Although not all exposure will gives you this effects, it’s still possibly happen when the skin’s being damaged seriously by the chemicals.
As what we’ve known about effects of skin contact with chemicals, none of us would ever want to experienced them, right? If possible, we would even loved to avoid them as best as we can. But, it’s inevitable that chemicals can do harm to us, human.
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However, you should not fear or worry too much about being in contact or working with chemicals. Even though all of those effects mentioned above might goes after you for real, you still can work properly and peacefully with chemicals. As long as you pay keen attention over the precautions and do as it says, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Working with chemicals is all about being patient and paying attention. It’s all about not rushing or doing things recklessly. Pay attention to precautions, work carefully, then both you and the chemicals can be friends.