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Posted By Sue Manning
We have an unusual problem with now 3 instances on unexplained 'sun-burn' type facial skin rash in our company Technical Centre. The Centre is a converted mill and is on 4 floors, and is located in the building adjacent to our development area where we run tests using diesel engine test beds
Three of the 50 employees located on the top (third) floor are experiencing 'sun-burn' type facial skin rashes when at work. The symptoms clear up at weekends and return during the week. If the sufferers wear moisturising or sun cream the rashes do not occur. If they move to other floors (with the same pc equipment) the rashes subside. The last sufferer worked on the third floor in another area and did not get the rash until he was moved this week. No other people in the building on any floor are affected. The previous occupant of the workstation was not affected. Two of the people sit in the same corner area of the third floor and the third person is partway down the office
By working with our Occupational Health Facility, outside testing consultants and medical skin specialists we have eliminated several potential causes: diesel fume chemicals and particulate, chemical contamination from the building, ozone from the lighting, UV light from the lighting, chemicals from the carpet and furniture, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, electrostatic discharge from the PC equipment
The lighting on the third floor is different to the strip lighting on the other floors, and is through ceiling uplighters using 250W HQI high pressure mercury vapour lamps which reflect back from a steel ceiling. Yesterday we monitored UV light at and around the newest sufferers workstation using our equipment and obtained zero UVA and UVB. Lux measurements are constantly 400-500 throughout this floor and UV measurements are zero. Is it possible that some other radiated energy, for example infra-red light, could be causing the symptoms? Is there a method to measure this - equipment we could buy or hire?
Has anyone come across similar phenomena?
Sue Manning
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Have you had a dust partical analysis done, as the staff members might be alergic to the dust, grain, flower, dust mites ect?
It might be somthing gets triggered by the heat, also send the staff for an alegy test, could be yeast or some type of protein reaction.
Regards
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Posted By steve e ashton
Sue
You note the symptoms tend to disappear over a weekend - if this was a radiation effect, I suspect it would take longer for the redness to subside? This suggests an allergic/irritant response of some type...
Is it possible there is an individual (working in the area where people are being affected) who is using cosmetic products that are causing allergic reactions in other staff? I am aware that some 'shine' or 'glitter' products can cause such reactions (my daughter suffers when some of her friends wear glitter face powders)....
Or someone using biological wash powder with inadequate rinse times in their machines, leading to release of proteolytic enzymes that can cause similar reactions..?
I enjoy the detective work in cases like this, and wish you all the best in tracking down the culprit.
Steve
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Posted By Brett Day
Has there been checks for infra red output, something remembered from an optician I worked with IR in higher than usual levels can cause redness and irritation not to mention a 'gritty' feeling in the eyes and on the face, whilst still being low enough not to cause actual burns.
Just a thought
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Posted By Adrian Watson
Dear Sue,
There are a number of questions that need to be answered here. If I am teaching you to suck eggs, I'll appologise up front.
You say that complaints are localised to one floor with three of the 50 employees located on the top (third) floor experiencing 'sun-burn' type facial skin rashes when at work. The symptoms clear up at weekends and return during the week. If the sufferers wear moisturising or sun cream the rashes do not occur.
First when did the complaints start? What changed and what did not change over that time period?
Second, what is different and what is the same about where these people work, both within the building and within the top floor?
I know that these sound simplistic, but these are powerful questions.
On some of your points, if the 'sun-burn' is on the faces only it sounds like a radient source. A non-radiating source such as RH, Pollutants etc would also affect other bare skin, such as the wrist and ankle. As it is on the face, I would suggest a radient source at or above head height. Are these people close to a radient heater or do these people work on a platform that puts them closer to the lights? I think that it is most probably the 250W HQI high pressure mercury vapour lamps that's causing the problem for these people.
A simple test of whether this is contributes to the problem would be to temporarily remove these lights from their work locations and provide them with an alternative light source. If you move them from the floor, whilst the lighting is different so will be other factors.
Regards Adrian Watson
If wish to discuss this further you can contact me on 07944 789632.
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Adrian Watson
Dear Sue,
There are a number of questions that need to be answered here. If I am teaching you to suck eggs, I'll apologise up front.
You say that complaints are localised to one floor with three of the 50 employees located on the top (third) floor experiencing 'sun-burn' type facial skin rashes when at work. The symptoms clear up at weekends and return during the week. If the sufferers wear moisturising or sun cream the rashes do not occur.
First when did the complaints start? What changed and what did not change over that time period?
Second, what is different and what is the same about where these people work, both within the building and within the top floor?
I know that these sound simplistic, but these are powerful questions.
On some of your points, if the 'sun-burn' is on the faces only it sounds like a radiant source. A non-radiating source such as RH, Pollutants etc would also affect other bare skin, such as the wrist and ankle.
It has been commented that as the symptoms tend to disappear over a weekend, this is leads to the suspicion of an allergic/irritant response of some type. I would tend to disagree, but leave this to a dermatologist to answer, as the time it would take the skin reddening to disappear would depend upon the amount of skin damage. Furthermore, both radiation and irritants would have the same affect.
As there are only some people, there will be some idiopathic response here. It may be that these people have dry or otherwise vulnerable skin. As it is on the face, I would suggest that the radiant source is at or above head height. I would not consider a pc monitor, is likely to be the main problem, here. Are these people close to a radiant heater or do these people work on a platform that puts them closer to the lights? I think that it is most probably that the 250W HQI high pressure mercury vapour lamps in this area that’s causing the problem for these people.
A simple test of whether these lamps contribute to the problem would be to temporarily remove them from the affected persons work locations and provide them with an alternative light source. If you move the affected persons from the floor, whilst the lighting is different so will be other factors.
Regards Adrian Watson
If wish to discuss this further you can contact me on 07944 789632.
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Adrian Watson
Dear Sue,
There are a number of questions that need to be answered here. If I am teaching you to suck eggs, I'll apologise up front.
You say that complaints are localised to one floor with three of the 50 employees located on the top (third) floor experiencing 'sun-burn' type facial skin rashes when at work. The symptoms clear up at weekends and return during the week. If the sufferers wear moisturising or sun cream the rashes do not occur.
First when did the complaints start? What changed and what did not change over that time period?
Second, what is different and what is the same about where these people work, both within the building and within the top floor?
I know that these sound simplistic, but these are powerful questions.
On some of your points, if the 'sun-burn' is on the faces only it sounds like a radiant source. A non-radiating source such as RH, Pollutants etc would also affect other bare skin, such as the wrist and ankle.
It has been commented that as the symptoms tend to disappear over a weekend, this is leads to the suspicion of an allergic/irritant response of some type. I would tend to disagree, but leave this to a dermatologist to answer, as the time it would take the skin reddening to disappear would depend upon the amount of skin damage. Furthermore, both radiation and irritants would have the same affect.
As there are only some people, there will be some idiopathic response here. It may be that these people have dry or otherwise vulnerable skin. As it is on the face, I would suggest that the radiant source is at or above head height. I would not consider a pc monitor, is likely to be the main problem, here. Are these people close to a radiant heater or do these people work on a platform that puts them closer to the lights? I think that it is most probably that the 250W HQI high pressure mercury vapour lamps in this area that’s causing the problem for these people.
A simple test of whether these lamps contribute to the problem would be to temporarily remove them from the affected persons work locations and provide them with an alternative light source. If you move the affected persons from the floor, whilst the lighting is different so will be other factors.
Regards Adrian Watson
If wish to discuss this further you can contact me on 07944 789632.
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Adrian Watson
Dear Sue,
There are a number of questions that need to be answered here. If I am teaching you to suck eggs, I'll apologise up front.
You say that complaints are localised to one floor with three of the 50 employees located on the top (third) floor experiencing 'sun-burn' type facial skin rashes when at work. The symptoms clear up at weekends and return during the week. If the sufferers wear moisturising or sun cream the rashes do not occur.
I would ask:
- When did the complaints start? What changed and what did not change over that time period?
- What is different and what is the same about where these people work, both within the building and within the top floor?
- What is the same and what is different about the affected people? Are they all of the same sex, age, ethnic origin?
I know that these sound simplistic, but these are powerful questions.
On some of your points, if the 'sun-burn' is on the faces only it sounds like a radiant source. A non-radiating source such as RH, Pollutants etc would also affect other bare skin, such as the wrist and ankle.
It has been commented that as the symptoms tend to disappear over a weekend, this leads to the suspicion of an allergic/irritant response of some type. I would tend to disagree, about the allergic part, but would leave this question for a dermatologist to answer, as the time it would take the skin reddening to disappear would depend upon the amount of skin damage. Furthermore, both radiation and irritants would have the same affect.
As there are only some people, there will be some idiopathic response here. It may be that these people have dry or otherwise vulnerable skin. As it is on the face, I would suggest that the radiant source is at or above head height. I would not consider a pc monitor, is likely to be the main problem, here. Are these people close to a radiant heater or do these people work on a platform that puts them closer to the lights? I think that it is most probably that the 250W HQI high pressure mercury vapour lamps in this area that’s causing the problem for these people.
A simple test of whether these lamps contribute to the problem would be to temporarily remove them from the affected persons work locations and provide them with an alternative light source. If you move the affected persons from the floor, whilst the lighting is different so will be other factors.
Regards Adrian Watson
If wish to discuss this further you can contact me on 07944 789632.
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Sue Manning
Case Closed!
The condition was indeed a 'sunburn' type rash from a combination of factors
1- Following advice from the chat forum, we went back to basics and observed what was different over the affected people v's other areas where the same people had no symptoms. Over the symtomatic people - the lights were blue - in other areas they were yellow or white. We swapped the two blue bulbs for new ones just to see what happened - within days the symptoms cleared up and have not returned some two weeks later. The luminaires will only accept one type of bulb
2 - The bulb colour deteriorates with age due to sodium migration into the glass - so the blue bulbs are much older than the white ones.
3 - The bulbs need to be used in luminaires which are fitted with UV protected coverplates. Ours are - however, over time (the lighting has been in place for 5 years) coverplates had gone missing (presumably broken and not replaced)and these were over the affected people
4 - At some point fairly recently, the bulb manufacturer has enhanced their product by a chemical impregnation (selenium I believe) that affords UV protection to the actual bulb. When the bulbs were replaced from new stock, so was the missing UV screening, even though the coverplate was still missing (at that time awaiting replenished stock). Which is why the symptoms subsided even though the apparent same type of bulb was installed - in a luminaire with no coverplate
All the luminaires now have coverplates
Why didn't we pick up on UV light? - We previously had zero measurements across the floor for both UVA and UVB - but it seems that our meter was not sensitive enough to pick up the short wave UVB...
Thnaks to everyone who posted replies, or who responded to me personally by e-mail
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Posted By steve e ashton
Well done for finding the culprit!
Its always nice to hear of a success, thanks for giving us the results of your investigations and a positive outcome.
Steve
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