Chromate poisoning from concrete work

My son works in concrete. He developed a bad skin condition. He had a terrible time with the company they refused him workers compensation and gave him unemployment finally but he wants to know if this is life threatening and how can he get rid of it short of not working in concrete?

+++ The doctor is out, Terry. Please don't rely on strangers on the Internet as to whether an illness your son is suffering is life-threatening. Please get him to a dermatologist ASAP. I didn't know that concrete included chromate. Good luck. Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey ---- Postscript 1/22/10: I wish a concrete engineer would join this thread because we metal finishers don't know enough about it. I find that, yes, Portland cement contains chromate, and additional chromate has sometimes been added to help protect the reinforcing steel from corrosion. Additionally, ferrous sulphates or other reduction agents have sometimes been used to reduce the chromate content. It's complex, and I don't know enough :-)

Safety and health in the concrete products industry

The skin problem is most likely an alkali burn due to the high pH of concrete, about 12.5 for cured, possibly higher for the fresh mixture. Some research has been done on concrete additives such as chromates, nitrates, etc. trying to prevent corrosion of reinforcing steel. I am not aware of any commercial usage.

My husband has been doing concrete for the last 7 years and in the last 3 he has developed sores that develop into puss filled knots. It got so bad that one on his knee swelled to the size of 3 softballs and finally after 2 visits to the family doctor. then a 24 hour trip to the emergency room. in which they admitted him but would not lance his leg to relieve the puss. dismissed him. another trip the following day to another emergency room in which I told the doctor to lance his leg or I would leave him there. they finally did. This was before the 3 trips we made to the dermatologist in which the results came back as staph infection..the antibiotic he was given ($450.00) did not work.

It has been an ongoing thing. he has them all over his arms. legs. one on his ear. chin. etc. There has to be something they are using in the concrete that makes me wonder if eventually this will cause homeowners to have reactions since this is what homes are built with. Kind of like lead and asbestos...? I am at loss on what to do except him change his business but in the meantime other concrete workers are coming up with the same thing. Both of my children have gotten these (weird) since I sleep with him but have never gotten one. So. family doctor. dermatologist. and hospital visits have come up with nothing for a cure. I really think something should be looked into about this since I have noticed when I did research 2 years ago online there was basically nothing and now there are more people coming up with the same stuff in the concrete business. Any info or insight on this is welcomed.

Hi, Tracie. Concrete is extremely alkaline (almost like lye), and this would be very bad for anyone's skin. Sorry, I don't know enough about concrete in general or this specific case to have an opinion whether a chromate additive, if any, is accentuating your husband's problems with it.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

My husband has been working in concrete for 18 years. His exposure may not have been as great as some because he works most of the time on the curb machine. But now he has started getting odd sores on his hands. They are raised little "knots" that look sort of like blood blisters at first, then they swell up more with puss, bleed, then scab over & heal. Usually about 7 days start to finish. Most of the time, they come out of nowhere, with no previous wound or irritation. He has about 4 or 5 sores at a time, each one at a different stage of development. However this week he scratched his wrist on something and one of the sores started coming up in the middle of it. I could understand a staph infection in the case of the scratch, but I don't understand how it could just come out of nowhere to cause a sore where nothing had been before. He says he's heard from others in the business that it looks like concrete poisoning & he has a doctors appointment scheduled soon. After scouring the internet, it is frustrating to not find any medical information on these sores. But with the number of complaints & inquiries I have seen posted in different places online it's obvious that something to do with concrete work DOES cause some type of sores... It would be nice if someone could get to the bottom of this. From what I have read the doctors are not any help. I would like to ask any others who have experienced this problem to email me with their details and perhaps we can find a doctor willing to help us all. Put "Concrete Poisoning" in the subject line. Thanks!

I do concrete for a living also, but am a driver that delivers it, I have started coming up with these sores, on my arms kind of look like a bug bite that has been itched and itched, I notice if I put a antibiotic on them they go away, but just come back again, They are leaving scars on my arm, I am not sure to what they are? Could any one help me also?

Concrete poisoning: we are trying to find info on what it is and treatment. My son has sores on his fingers, is a stone mason. So far have found nothing on the Internet about it.

Thanks,

From:
Specialized Information Services
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Information about Portland Cement and health problems can be found from the Hazmap site.
Enter "Portland Cement" then click on "Agent"

hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/hazmap_generic?tbl=TblAgents&id=605

I am a homeowner that purchased 10 yds. of concrete on a weekend to pour 3 concrete walls and I suffered severe chemical burns to my wrist, both knees, stomach and inside of my legs. It should be noted that I had lined sweatpants, long sleeve shirt, gloves and boots on unlike the others working with me that had no shirts and shorts on. The doctors treated it as a chemical burn; it has been 3 months and as I expected I have several scars. I did not expect to have recurrent outbreaks of little rashes almost similar to bug bites (that itch) like someone else has previously described. I am waiting to be seen by a reputable Dermatologist but I am skeptical that he will be helpful after having read several other entries. I am also looking for any other helpful information...Thanks.

My husband, 55 years old, had worked in concrete and masonry most of his life until we discovered that he has concrete poisoning. He had begun developing blistering on his hands which broke and became painful sores. For several months after he stopped doing concrete work the sores continued. He tried antibiotic cream which helped heal the sores but new ones continued to appear. He tried vinegar, emu oil, vitamin e, but nothing worked. A friend developed a cream that is made of silver water, cocoa butter, and aloe. Her goal for making the cream was to cure his hands. Unbelievably it worked. His hands completely healed and he has not gotten another blister since, except once. Recently he just moved a sack of concrete and the next day he had a new blister. So he put more cream on it. He stopped doing concrete work in November of 2005 and has been using the cream since. I have been after her to let me get on this website and let everyone know about it. Now she is ready to market it. You can order through customerservice@stickerblue.com. Let her know you heard about it at finishing.com.

I hope it helps everyone.

I have just recovered from chromate contact while working with concrete.The chromate is alkaline with a high pH. The itch was incredible, to such a point I would cut the skin of my arm.

I now use 1 kg/(2 lb) of rock sea salt in a shallow bath. Sea water is 35 grams of salt per liter my mix is about 25 grams per liter. After a week the itch and sores reduced significantly.I have since been to a dermatologist. I was advised to continue with the salt bath plus wash the infected areas with acetic acid at 25 parts per liter. Acetic acid is vinegar (acid negates an alkaline and visa versa). Both of the above have reduced the sores and scars.

I also use a week cortisone cream to reduce the itch along with normal hay fever antihistamine tablets.
It is important to cover the area with a cream or non-perfumed moisturizer. Hope this helps.

My husband has been working concrete since he was seventeen and now he is forty-three. We have been through the terrible skin for years, but he didn't know what else he had coming! His joints have been wasting away all that time. He has had one shoulder replacement and needs it done again (along with the other one.) He is getting ready to have a knee replacement and is looking for the right doctor. I suggest that anyone wanting to do concrete for a living really decide how long you want to be happy first. I can say the money was good, but not for the trade off. And for everyone out there talking about the terrible skin symptoms and rashes, that will all go away when you quit working in that field! My husband hasn't poured in 2 yrs. (except an occasional small slab) When you quit, it will clear up real nicely!

I recently was cutting concrete patio stones with a wet saw. After three days of cutting my wrist started aching real bad took Aleve and it went away; next morning fingers on both hands were completely numb. The left hand cleared but right ring, middle and index finger stayed swollen and very painful and palms were itching so bad. Then the rash on my legs from where the water was hitting me while cutting; then severe headaches --this has lasted for over a week. I know this is probably concrete poisoning . . . any help?

Vitamin B2 may help also. It has shown promise with skin eczema and other problems. In addition treatments using the pH balancing of Salt water and vinegars. B2 also helps with sweat induced itching of body (aka groin and torso) areas. Won't go further into those details ;-)

I have been a mason for forty years. This text is a confession rather than a question. Even knowing better my adrenaline and zeal to finish the job took over so that I made myself very sick. Two days ago I grouted a brick patio I had installed. Throughout the process I sat in the wet grout as I sponged it up. The sweat, sand abrasion, and caustic portland cement passed through my clothing and burned my skin severely. My doctor prescribed silver sulfadiazine cream and a strong antibiotic tablet. Hope this works soon. Right now I am typing instead of out earning money. Pain is so bad I cannot walk and I stick to everywhere I sit. Be careful.

I've been doing concrete since 1978. July of this year I developed a rash on both hands and later both feet. I used every over the counter drug there is and nothing helped. The itching became unbearable. Vinegar and warm water helped sooth the itch, but only temporarily. My hands started to blister and split as well as my feet -- I could hardly walk.
The Doctor prescribed Antibiotics, and Betamethasone Dipropionate Ointment USP (Augmented*) 0.05%, and I started getting results right away. The itching is gone, so are the blisters, but they dry up into a hard skin (the blisters), that are taking a while to come off. I've only been using this creme a week; it's really good; oh yeah 1.59oz. costs about$98.00.
I'd advise anyone who gets this to seek medical attention immediately; don't wait like I did. GOOD LUCK!
P.S I forgot about the shot of PENICILLIN (IN THE REAR)         O U C H!