I think I’ve developed an honest-to-god allergy to something in concrete. I only poured one bag yesterday, just for the upper pad on this slope and then spent the rest of my time measuring and trenching.
I felt it at the time, when I got the dust on my hands, but washed it off and didn’t think any more about it. But this morning my hands are really stiff and, like, tight-feeling.
Good thing I’ve got lots of these nitrile gloves, because there’s quite a lot more than that to do this morning.
ETA: Oh! And here’s another dose of synchronicity.
See that? That’s a thin layer of chicken feed at the bottom of a garbage can, and it’s all that keeps these ladies…
…cheerfully pecking away and hating my guts while returning next to nothing. Nothing! Do you hear me, you ungrateful feather dusters? A new generation is arising, and you’re starting to look like an important part of a balanced dinner! Hear me?
(Ahem.) Sorry. That just burst out.
Anyway I was starting to worry about where these useless fowls’ next hundred pounds of distressingly expensive chicken feed was coming from, when I had a quick $100 gig drop in my lap. Which fills their garbage can, plus buys some concrete I need. Just in time, as so often happens.
Cool, huh? I’ll grumble and choose between food and medicine, it’s just that time of life and I don’t want to go blind. But my food or the chickens’ food? That’s not a choice.
It isn’t an allergy, it’s chemical burns. The calcium and lime in concrete will burn the crap out of your skin. I’ve seen ulcers to the bone caused by concrete. You’re lucky it didn’t get into any open cuts. Wear gloves man!
That’s exactly right, Goober. Joel, when you wash your hands and before putting on the gloves, rub a little vegetable oil into the skin of your hands and arms. The concrete dust is going to go everywhere, so use eye protection as well. You don’t need any concrete dust in your eyes! If you do get that dust in your eyes, take the time to wash it out carefully. Best with normal saline solution, but plain water in an emergency. Get a big bottle of plain saline solution made to rinse contact lenses, if you can. It won’t spoil if you are careful not to contaminate it. Just a dollar or two at WalMart.
When you are done working with the concrete, don’t just wash your hands, take a serious shower. Apply a little of the oil to all exposed skin, including your face, after the shower. To promote healing of the hands, apply oil and then put on gloves at bedtime. Don’t use mineral oil or hand lotion. Olive, grapeseed, avocado and cocoa butter oils are the best, but plain old vegetable oil is better than nothing.
For a while here, I found my hands getting dry, even cracked and sore – in spite of using every kind of lotion and oil… and couldn’t figure out what was causing it until I realized I’d started using dish soap in my hand soap dispensers… to save money. I wash my hands a LOT – an old habit from nursing. Between the harsh chemicals in dish soap – even diluted, and insufficient rinsing, I was abusing my poor skin badly. I exchanged the dish soap for some really cheap “body wash” from the dollar store, and even dilute that 1/2 with water. Now I can wash my hands as often as I like, and no longer have dry, cracked skin.
Vinegar- it stings like you’d expect for a minute or two, but I’ve had good luck wiping my hands with a vinegar soaked rag after concrete contact. It doesn’t beat ‘not getting concrete on you’, but it helps stop the alkaline from burning so much.
Not really a good idea, Wolfman. A mile vinegar/water rinse after thorough washing might be soothing, but it won’t help if the concrete is still on the skin. This isn’t a simple pH problem…
Ditto – what Goober and ML said.
Joel you may want to take time out and look at this.
https://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/cement-guidance.html
Ditto what Goober and ML said, especially about eye protection. And a dust mask. And realize that the dust is all over your hat, boots and clothes, so take the time to brush off and shake out everything before you go inside. Where you live public nudity is OK – you can take off your clothes, shake them out, leave them outside until the next concrete session. Concrete dust inside The Lair would not improve your day. If this is the first time you’ve experienced concrete dust discomfort you’re very lucky. The dust may also affect your animals, depending on wind direction and speed. But don’t worry, the rats will probably be just fine.
🙂 So far as I know public nudity is frowned upon here at least as commonly as it is elsewhere. Private nudity, however, is much easier to practice. In summer it’s not wise to sneak up on the Secret Lair around afternoon bath time, at least unless you bring eye bleach.
So you say you regularly put on a show for the cows, eh?
}:-]
“Oh, look, Gladys! He’s hung like a bull!“
“unless you bring eye bleach”
Exactly right, although when I’m bathing outdoors (usually while camping) I worry more about causing women of child bearing age to become barren.
Wyowanderer, Mark Matis, Joel – thank-you for the chuckle, I needed it.