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Date: | Mon, 1 Dec 2003 22:26:22 -0500 |
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I had good luck for a while with "Goop" or other mechanics degreaser spread
on the skin before contact and then washed off and recleansed after field
work. The first coat seals the pores and breaks down the oils, the
after-treatment takes it away. It does not work for more than a few hours
and you need to thoroughly rinse before reapplying. I learned that trick
while working on cleaning giant boilers in which I had to climb into the
chamber and got covered head to toe with pure black soot - I did have the
funkiest tan after that job!
I also have had considerable luck with simple rinse with plenty of rubbing
alcohol, although you have to wipe it off before it dries or it just leaves
the oils on the skin, and rinse several times and then wash with soap and
water for a sure clean.
Back in 1991 I took a misstep while surveying Mount Independence for
Vermont DHR and Starbuck and fell down a 10 foot ledge and landed smack
atop one of the Mount's very healthy poison ivy bushes. This was in the
first days of the field work and I thought that I was done for, but for
some reason I got but a little bit of blister on the whole 8 week
project! I think there was something about the particular species,
weather, karma, ...
Unfortunately I have now been in to the stuff so many times without
protection that I get socked just by walking near it. My last nasty bout
necessitated a cortisone shot, but the Doc told me that the reaction had
4-5 days left in its natural course, and the cortisone would last only 2-3
days max. Sure enough, the cortisone did not wipe it out, only suppressed
it and when the med wore off the rash came back with a vengeance, but only
for a day
Next time I'll get a larger dose.
Dan W.
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