Monday, January 7, 2013

Nickle

As I mentioned before, I am concerned that if I am allergic to something, it might not be one of the more tolerable-to-lose culprits, but instead my beloved soy.Toby brought up another good point, that has me extremely worried.
I bought a ring a couple weeks a go that I am fairly in love with. It was from an East Indian gentleman who's shop on Capital Hill in Seattle was going out of business, and he was having a liquidation sale. He had a beautiful selection of rings, which I haven't treated myself to in a good long while. I decided it was time, but upon further inspection, I inquired as to if it was real silver and if that silver was Sterling. He relayed to me that it was.
Well, I now have a ring on my finger. And it's not the ring I bought. It's a red ring from my skin's reaction to the ring, suggesting that it is not in fact sterling silver, but perhaps if it is silver at all, it is merely dipped in it, which has worn through. Dipped in silver is not enough for me. I need it to be silver through and through. I am, after all, allergic to nickle.
Toby was observing the redness on my finger - which is on my left hand, and it is my right hand which is broken out. My right hand has been looking worse and worse. However, since my shifts are sporadic at the moment, I go through some days where I was my hands several times more than I would if I weren't working, and with a different kind of soap. This has caused my hands to dry out and break out before. I put it down to the soap.
But Toby made a very interesting suggestion, one that rather scares me, if I am being honest.
What about heavy metals in water? What if tap water has nickle in it, and that is actually what my skin reaction is to, and not a food allergy at all?
I considered this, then at first dismissed it. What about when I drink it? Surely I would have had a reaction to it then. I do only drink filtered water though, and have been spoiled on it for a long while. Could it be true?
I had a look online, and found what the World Health Organization (WHO) had to say on it
"The primary source of nickel in drinking-water is leaching from metals in contact with drinking-water, such as pipes and fittings. However, nickel may also be present in some ground waters as a consequence of dissolution from nickel ore-bearing rocks.
"...Increased nickel concentrations in groundwater and municipal tap water (100–2500 µg/litre) in polluted areas and areas in which natural nickel was mobilized have been reported (McNeely et al., 1972; Hopfer et al., 1989). Water left standing overnight in plumbing fittings plated with chromium on a base of nickel contained a nickel concentration of 490 µg/litre (Andersen et al., 1983). "
It states earlier that the maximum units/liter is 69. I haven't seen what Bellingham's water is like, but it cold be that concentrated, and if it is, perhaps it is causing a reaction in me. 
Although, later on in the information it WHO states:
"Overall, drinking-water appears to contribute only a minor proportion of daily intake, although exposure of some communities may be significant in specific circumstances where nickel levels in groundwater are unusually high."
Who knows (get it? Tee hee!)! Could just be paranoia flaring up, which it does from time to time.  
 
 
 
 

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