Allergic Reaction To Resin?

[Warren D]

Just wondering if anyone has had an allergic reaction to dust from sanding/grinding resin models?   Got a whopping case of contact dermatitis and I'm trying to ID the cause.  I suspect it is something else but trying to cover all my bases.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Once most "resins" used in the hobby world are fully cured, they're (mostly) for all intents and purposes chemically inert. Sanding dust should not produce any contact skin irritation (though you do NOT want to breathe the dust).

Urethane (the common "resin" casting material) has been known to cause allergic reactions and "sensitivities", but as far as I know, only when it's in the liquid state.

The MEKP catalyst in polyester-based resins can be a severe irritant, and some epoxy resins provoke an allergic response, but these also only happen when the resin in question is still in it's liquid, uncured form...as far as I know.

There IS a possibility that if sloppy mixing and measuring procedures are used during production of a part, a portion of "unreacted" material may remain in a hardened resin part. In this case, exposure to the dust could conceivably produce the reaction you describe.

When in doubt, try to find out the specific material that was used to make the part, and look up the MSDS (material safety data sheets). Most are available online.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[Warren D]

Thanks, I suspect something else but as I can't ID a specific source, I figured I'd try to eliminate as many other variables as possible.