Iron absortion through skin?

[bryan65]

I'm brand new to the group, so feel free to point out any failure on my part to follow group etiquette.

I've been a ceramics guy for about 30 years.  Wheel thrown work and slab work.  I've recently come down with concerning physical symptoms which may be due to "iron overload" in my system.  It can affect the liver and cause many downstream problems...joints, heart, etc.  Naturally, I am on alert for sources of excess iron.  I was looking at dietary iron, but then, as I was preparing to sit down and throw recently, I stopped in my tracks as I thought about the iron in my clay body.  

Wet hands in a slurry containing some portion of iron for hours at a time.

Does anyone have knowledge of absorbability of iron through intact skin?  

 

[Mark C.]

My guess is iron thru clay thru skin is infinitesimal. Just a guess. I have never heard of any issues in 50 years of clay work about Iron

[Pyewackette]

Hemachromatosis (iron "overload") is nearly always genetic. While there is some evidence that SOME forms of iron MAY be absorbed through the skin, we're talking about formulations specifically made to be absorbed and applied directly and in quantity.  Not the little bits of various iron compounds that may be scattered through whatever clays you are working with.  Assuming you don't have pica (where people eat clay and other oddments), iron in clay isn't going to affect blood levels of iron.

Also the test for iron in the blood is extremely simple.  If iron overload is suspected it should already be caught in your normal blood test that your doctor orders.  An additional test for Ferritin can tell how much iron is stored in your organs.  Simple (though the ferritin test is not routine).  If you have an iron overload it will be obvious from a blood test.

Hemachromatosis can take decades to show up because it takes a while for the iron to build up.  It is often not discovered until past middle age.  From the Cleveland Clinic:

Quote

Hemochromatosis is also more common in older people because iron toxicity takes years to develop.

Other factors that increase the chances of developing hemochromatosis include alcohol abuse and a family history of:

Arthritis.
Diabetes.
Heart attack.
Erectile dysfunction.
Liver disease.

So no worries.  At least not on the count of working with clay.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Even iron nano particles seem to only stain or irritate the skin according to stuff I found on PubMed. Dust inhalation or metal fume fever come up, but not contact absorption. 

If you’ve got health issues, it’s a much better idea to ask a doctor than a bunch of potters. While sharing generalizations and personal experiences is one thing, this one sounds more complicated than that. I have a friend that suspected hemochromatosis for similar symptoms as you describe, and it turned out to be something else entirely.

[Russ]

Perhaps have your water tested? Especially if its well water.