Posted By Emma Lorenzo Can someone give me any advice on this subject. Is swarfega (with or without grit)an accepatble substance to use for cleaning hands on site or would you recommend another substance ? Does anyone know of any side effects from using this substance ? Does it cause any skin disorders from use?

Posted By Stuart Nagle A a user of swarfega over the years, I found that very regular use of this hand cleaner tended to dry the skin of the hands, leaving it prone to cracking and splitting. I have suffered demititis on the hands (fingers), but cannot directly relate this to the use of swarfega. It is more likley to be associated with my contact with cement, mortars and concrete over a number of years. I have not specicially heard of anyone having problems with swarfega, although those working in the motor vehicle repair trade seem to suffer a higher incidence of hand problems. Whether this due to use of swarfegs or contact with oils and other similar substances is a matter for conjection. I do not know of any studies in this area by which to make comparrison. Stuart Nagle

Posted By Neil Budworth Swarfega has been around for many years, and is an effective hand cleanser, like any of theses products it can lead to the degreasing of the skin if overused, the general advice is always to use the mildest hand cleanser that you can reasonably get away with and the hand cleanser should be used as part of an overall skin care package, ie should be used with barrier and reconditioning schemes. If you contact the supplier Deb in this case I am sure that they will be more than happy to give you advice on the most appropriate cleanser for your application. With regard to grit, mechanics and others used to put sand into the hand cleanser to make it more abrasive. This certainly makes it more abrasive but can also damage the skin, hence the skin products suppliers learned from what the customer wanted and started to incorporate poly beads or similar natural products which act as an abrasive but which are not so prone to damaging the skin. Drop me an E mail if I can be of any further help. Best Regards Neil