Can cement damage your skin?

Evening all.

I've been building a patio. It's my first significant hard landscaping effort. Now the skin of my right hand is done in. Its almost like mild burns. I have on numerous occasions during my construction effort placed my right hand right into the wet cement as I work. Not for fun I should say, its when it's gone a bit wrong and rather than letting it dry in the wrong place, I've just shoved my hand in to sort it. Now I have very dry skin, and red swollen bits on my hand like mild burns.

Is cement the culprit?

My left hand, and indeed every other part of me that did not go into the cement, is fine and normal, hence the finger of suspicion pointing in the direction of the cement.

 

Yes it does Dave, like John said, take precautions, I use a barrier cream rather than gloves, as if a bit gets into the gloves it will cause more damage as it sits wet on your skin.

Cement is not as caustic as lime on its own though, had a lump of lime mortar sitting on my elbow for 30 mins, ate thru all the layers of my skin & took 3 months to heal.

 

Thanks chaps. I used to think it did, but then I thought it was only the old kind that contained lots of lime. Seems its the ordinary run of the mill stuff as well.

I'll be a bit more careful from now on.

 

"Just like Go'auld"?

You've lost me there.

 

I always wear gloves Clueless when cementing , a cement burn can be quite painful and takes some time to heal . When you have finished also have a shower or a good wash all the way up your arms , to make sure a little bit is not sticking to you .

 

Its a highly alkaline caustic agent! It contains major skin irritants and allergens.
Plus the small particles act like an abrasive.

There are cautionary warnings all over the bags! :D

Seriously if it continues to burn today, get it checked out as some on the thread have discovered it could lead to full thickness burns.

 

Not on the bags I bought from a well known DIY chain store. If there are warnings on the bags, they must be tucked away somewhere, perhaps on the inside of the bag? Or written in ink that's the same colour as the paper sack.

 

How are your burns this evening? Are you still a bit sore?
You can rinse your hand in vinegar to neutralise the reddening - but pop in to see your practise nurse if it stays inflamed. Especially if you're going to be out in the garden getting mucky. The site will be pretty vulnerable to infection for a while.

And if its the case there really are no warnings on your bags, then Id raise the issue with the store and maybe even with trading standards. The store is absolutely in the wrong. And definitely take photos of your burns.

Take care. x

 

Your concern for my well being is sincerely appreciated.

My hand is a bit sore and itchy. Still a bit swollen but not worryingly so. It was worse a couple of days ago. Its more that the skin is dry and stiff. If I make a fist, it takes noticeable effort to close all my fingers in and I can feel the skin pulling. I've been pinching my wife's moisturising cream and the swelling is nearly gone, my skin colour is nearly back to what it was rather than bright red, and I can flex my fingers almost normally now.

As for the lack of warnings on the bags, after starting this thread I did a bit of googling. I found that a trading standards dept had taken the well known DIY chain to court over their cement bags after somebody ended up with far, far worse burns than mine. The trading standards dept claimed that the bags didn't have sufficient warnings on them. The judge ruled in favour of the DIY chain, saying that the product is legal and not classified as hazardous, and in effect that the burns victim should have known better.

 

The first reply I wrote disappeared into cyberspace.

I was just saying Im pleased your had is better!

I dont agree with the court ruling about warnings. How else would an occasional DIYer know to take extra care with cement?

 

It's like this you see:

Huge firm with lots of cash gets taken to court. Directors of huge firm drink in the same pub as judge. Official from huge firm says "If we lose, we will have to spend millions changing our labelling, and withdrawing good stock. If we win we'll save millions, and will have enough money saved to make a cash donation of a few grand to an unnamed charity of your choice wink wink funny handshake".

 

:D

Cynic!

 

"and will have enough money saved to make a cash donation of a few grand to an unnamed charity of your choice wink wink funny handshake".

Anonymously to you in a brown paper envelope you mean :-)

Jack McH