iPad Implicated in Pediatric Rashes Diagnosed as Nickel Allergies [Updated]

[mrxak]

Because a potent allergy inducing product line could become a major health issue forcing Apple to take it off the market?

Not a chance. You know the metal button on blue jeans? Nickel alloy. That's how my allergy was diagnosed. I got a severe rash on my waist after a while from the little bit of metal on the inside of the pants because I never tucked my shirts in as a kid. I also have to be careful with belts, and I can't wear most watches.

Apple is just as likely as to be forced to take their nickel-containing products off the market as Levi or Casio. Ultimately it's buyer beware if you've got an allergy. You hope that companies won't put peanuts in their non-peanut cookies, or nickel in their metal devices, but it's entirely a business decision by those companies. At most they'll be forced to add a warning label to their boxes. We've got non-latex condoms for people with latex allergies, and platinum wedding rings for people with nickel allergies. I myself own a couple titanium watches. But companies aren't forced to cater to everybody with a medical problem. It's nice when they do consider accessibility, though.

I'm just hoping the iWatch isn't nickel alloy. I've been saying that for a while now, but I don't know if Apple is really aware of the issue. You can't exactly put a case around your watch. Maybe some attention over their iPads and people allergic to them will make them realize metal allergies are making it hard for a lot of people to use their products, and they can make better material choices.

 

[Señor]

And who lets an 11 year old use an ipad without a case?

You know, kids may be getting into more trouble these days, but they're much smarter than people make them out to be, especially with technology, older people are less intelligent with technology because they didn't really grow up with it, but kids of today do grow up with it.

I'm pretty sure a normal 11 year old tween can handle an iPad without a case.

 

[mrxak]

I think you hit the nail on the head. It is physiologically impossible to have a reaction to peanuts from smell and, in most cases touch, because the protein is not sufficiently present, let alone absorbed (there are even some interesting studies in which individuals with diagnosed peanut allergies ate peanut butter with little to no reaction). Any "reaction" from sight, smell, or touch is due to either learned "taste/smell/touch" aversion or CS/US pairing, both of which can be counter-conditioned relatively easily. If the over-the-top cries and demands from individuals/parents of individuals with peanut allergies are any indication, we're in for an interesting ride with nickel allergies.

You don't know what you're talking about.

My sister had a severe allergy to peanuts when we were kids and once reacted without having any knowledge of the fact that I was secretly eating candy I got from school with peanuts in it in the back of the car while she was up front. It's not a conditioned response, it's a medical fact that people can react to peanuts from particles in the air. I was scared of getting in trouble, wasn't supposed to have candy anyway, much less candy with peanuts in it, so I never confessed and my parents and sister were completely confused as to why she was suddenly having trouble breathing. That's as close to a double blind test as you're going to get, proving there's no psychological factor involved with severe peanut allergies.

 

[Lancer]

This is stupid as stated. And who lets an 11 year old use an ipad without a case? I wouldn't let my wife use an ipad without a case.

My sister does with here kids, it's lucky to be still working.

 

[mrxak]

Surprising. That's what worked for me years back, until I just gave up watches entirely. Maybe it wasn't think enough?

I did for a while, then I realized they make titanium watches. Titanium is completely non-bioreactive. As a bonus, they're also very light on the wrist.

 

[mrxak]

As far as I can tell, nickel allergies result in very minor localized contact reactions. If you put peanut allergies (and other high-reaction food allergies) on one end of the spectrum, you'd go through hay fever, poison ivy, and just plain stress before getting to nickel allergies as a source of significant irritation.

That said, hysteria amongst ill-informed parents is always a good thing to bet on. I bet somewhere some PTA board will ban iPads and other metallic-backed devices from school grounds purportedly for this reason. But, I'd hope that doesn't end up being a national fad.

My nickel allergy is quite severe, as a matter of fact, but it does require prolonged contact. Mild irritation and swelling after a few hours, a huge itchy rash and cracking skin after days of exposure that won't go away for weeks. You're right about the reaction being local, though, and it won't result in death like some insect stings or food allergies. Still, if I could get rid of one allergy, it would be my nickel allergy, no question. When I'm around cats, I feel like dying, but nickel is far more prevalent in my life than cats have ever been. I can avoid cats and cat people, and take antihistamines that (sort of) prevent me from being a mucousy, miserable mess. But with a nickel metal allergy, I have to avoid contact with pretty much all metal, because nickel is used in coatings and alloys all over the place. In case you hadn't noticed, metal is a rather common material in civilization.

On the other hand, I have no allergic reaction to poison ivy, which I think is considerably rarer than having a metal allergy. Still, I'd trade my poison ivy immunity for a nickel metal immunity any day.

Anyway, I use a case for my iPad and iPhone. I do my best to avoid prolonged contact with my MacBook Pro, just in case I might react to that. It's a good excuse to keep proper straight wrists when typing, if nothing else. If wearable technology is the future, though, companies like Apple are going to need to think very carefully about their materials. A nickel metal alloy iWatch is a non-starter for a lot of people.

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Would you say this about the aluminum unibody HTC One?

Didn't you hear? People use their iOS devices more than people use their Android devices .

 

[mrxak]

You know, kids may be getting into more trouble these days, but they're much smarter than people make them out to be, especially with technology, older people are less intelligent with technology because they didn't really grow up with it, but kids of today do grow up with it.

I'm pretty sure a normal 11 year old tween can handle an iPad without a case.

I knew a lot more about the family Macintosh Performa at age 11 than my parents still do to this day about the computer they have now all these years later. I treat my technology better than they do, too. Every time I go to visit them, I see new scratches and dents all over their MacBook Pro. I really can't imagine what they're doing to make it look so beat up.

Some kids are responsible, some are not. Same is true of adults .

 

[seble]

It happens.

The old MacBook Pros used to be coated with a finish that a lot of people's hands didn't like (Including mine). So you'd end up with peeling at the very bottom of the keyboard.

Thankfully they use something else now.

That explains a lot!

 

[rocknblogger]

The lack of compassion in this thread is disturbing. While it may not be a widespread issue the kids/adults that are affected deserve a bit more compassion and understanding. But no let's just all bash them for being stupid.
Some of you just disgusting.

Just unbelievable

 

[chrimux]

This is stupid as stated. And who lets an 11 year old use an ipad without a case? I wouldn't let my wife use an ipad without a case.

I wouldn't let anybody use my iPad.

 

[chrimux]

So now people have Nickel allergies? Good grief. It seems like every time I turn around people are becoming allergic to such common things. When I was a kid, I tested positive for allergic to mold and dust. Now it seems like parents have to cope with a lot more allergies.

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Absolutely. When I was in my 20s, I considered moving to Phoenix from Boston to escape the trees and bushes that were aggravating my allergies. I spoke to my doctor and he said "You will be fine for a couple of years then you will become allergic to whatever trees and bushes are in Arizona. You are just susceptible to allergies, period.'

I have a nickel allergy. I discovered it first when I wore a bracelet which contained nickel. No need to have that "tested". It starts with itching, then a rash with more itching and if I continue wearing the nickel-stuff it starts hurting. The rash takes a few days to wear off.

Nickel is contained in lots of metal parts, like those in wristbands for health tracking, wristbands for watches, jewelry, belt buckles, buttons on jeans.

Actually, I am not "succeptable to allergies".

 

[Parkin Pig]

He's perfectly within reason to use it without a case.

And people with nut allergies are perfectly within reason (I think you mean perfectly within his rights) to eat peanut butter. Are you suggesting that a luxury tech product should be redesigned under the principles of human rights?

This is a first world problem.

 

[Serelus]

So what was the reason it was published?

Money. The argument that this was published to make people "aware" is laughable. Literally any piece of jewelry these days contain nickle, it's only when a company like Apple can be added to the equation that things become interesting to publish.

 

[Rafterman]

You know, kids may be getting into more trouble these days, but they're much smarter than people make them out to be, especially with technology, older people are less intelligent with technology because they didn't really grow up with it, but kids of today do grow up with it.

I'm pretty sure a normal 11 year old tween can handle an iPad without a case.

I agree about the "understanding tech" part. But a case isn't about an 11 year old understanding or using the tech. Its about 11 year olds and their natural tendency to destroy everything they touch.

 

[Piggie]

The lack of compassion in this thread is disturbing. While it may not be a widespread issue the kids/adults that are affected deserve a bit more compassion and understanding. But no let's just all bash them for being stupid.
Some of you just disgusting.

Just unbelievable

Indeed, and it shows very clearly how like a cult/religion Apple worship by many sad individuals has become.

You say a word against it, or question it, or suggest something may be wrong and you are attacked, rubbished, ridiculed etc......

It's so sad that people can be like this over some electronics in a box.

 

[JHankwitz]

Most every product on the market made of metal has some nickel in it. They're picking on Apple because they have the deepest pockets. They should be hitting on the US Mint because most all US coins contain nickel.

 

[franswa za]

only in america. sue apple if you get constipated. better still, start class action against apple.

 

[JGRE]

Worldwide, about 1 in 10 women are nickel sensitive.

Because they prefer gold juwelery
Anyways, nowbody ever died to nikkel sensitivity (joke) it is just a rash that goes away

Point is, nickel is found in coins and may other stuff around your house, why now the iPad is being highlighted as the "Bandit" puzzles me. Anything that can be brought-up agianst Apple is totally being blown out-of proportion.
Has anyone ever sued the US treasuries for nickel in their coins?

 

[goonie4life9]

Wow, great anecdote and attempt at a double-blind test! Unfortunately, physiology isn't an anecdote and reflexes aren't studied using double-blind tests (i.e., the hard sciences, physics, chemistry, biology, and behavior analysis, don't need to "blind" the experimenter and subject because their research is based on inductively derived objective measures - imagine a chemist trying to make water but being blind to the elements he/she was using - that practice makes no sense). You might consider reading some of empirical research on respondent conditioning. Taste/touch/smell/etc. aversions and conditioned reflexes have nothing to do with being "consciously aware" of the presence of stimuli (they are directly elicited by the presence of stimuli, which is why you do things like breathe when you are asleep). And, because they are conditioned, they are not examples of the base reflex (i.e., they are not the natural reaction to stimuli).

Until you brush-up, you're simply contributing to the over-the-top hysteria and providing another excellent example of my point.

You don't know what you're talking about.

My sister had a severe allergy to peanuts when we were kids and once reacted without having any knowledge of the fact that I was secretly eating candy I got from school with peanuts in it in the back of the car while she was up front. It's not a conditioned response, it's a medical fact that people can react to peanuts from particles in the air. I was scared of getting in trouble, wasn't supposed to have candy anyway, much less candy with peanuts in it, so I never confessed and my parents and sister were completely confused as to why she was suddenly having trouble breathing. That's as close to a double blind test as you're going to get, proving there's no psychological factor involved with severe peanut allergies.

 

[downpour]

I'm no expert on this sort of thing, but Googling around it looks like Apple use this aircraft grade aluminium:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024-T3_aluminium

It only seems to contain trace amounts of Nickel, I wonder if it could be removed entirely without affecting the material.

 

[kdarling]

Worldwide, about 1 in 10 women are nickel sensitive.

Because they prefer gold juwelery

Ha! I used to say that to my wife, who could only wear gold for years, being sensitive to other metals.

Then, after a major operation a few months ago, her body flipped and now she tests as allergic to gold! Oh well.

Point is, nickel is found in coins and may other stuff around your house, why now the iPad is being highlighted as the "Bandit" puzzles me. Anything that can be brought-up agianst Apple is totally being blown out-of proportion. Has anyone ever sued the US treasuries for nickel in their coins?

As I've noted already, coins are not held for a long time. And most people wear shirts or underwear that protect them from metal in their clothes.

As for the current story, it doesn't seem written to blame anything. It's more like pointing out the connection to help others who might wonder why they have a rash.

--

That said, you'd think that Apple would be more mindful of this, simply because nickel is one of the top sensitivities, especially for women. It could affect sales without anyone quite knowing why.

Decades ago, there was a study about women not being happy with work that involved computers. Turned out that the early CRT monitors' flyback transformers hummed at 15.7 KHz. For most men, this was barely hearable. For women, it was a constant background annoyance. Once monitor frequencies increased (along with the move to LCD), the hidden stress factor disappeared.

 

[MacSince1990]

I never happened to have met Steve.

Well played

 

[Bayshun]

Money. The argument that this was published to make people "aware" is laughable. Literally any piece of jewelry these days contain nickle, it's only when a company like Apple can be added to the equation that things become interesting to publish.

Of course it's there to make money; the Washington Post is a newspaper, and they make money by printing news articles that people will read. Apple is a really big company that people want to read about it. That doesn't mean, however, their goal isn't to inform people.

The iPad is not jewelry, so people may not realize that long periods of exposure may cause problems for some. Otherwise, there's nothing in this article that suggests an attack on Apple.

 

[prowlmedia]

Really? Or a you using hyperbole? Because a lot of people I see using tablets (Apple or not) have a case.

Perhaps. Of course people do use cases. BUT most people I know if not all have the Apple iPad cover And/Or a neoprene slide cover. Not a permanent case. Why add bulk to something?!

 

[Jalopybox]

All of these allergies and the finger pointing is getting out of hand. Ok, you are allergic to the metal in an ipad. YOU figure out how to remedy that. You are one in 10,000,000 that reacts to it. You don't sue, you either stop using it or put a damn cover on it.

Hey I am allergic to Gatorade, it makes me puke blood, time for a lawsuit.

As the race gets weaker from medical advancements, we will see more and more of these issues.

----------

I'm no expert on this sort of thing, but Googling around it looks like Apple use this aircraft grade aluminium:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024-T3_aluminium

It only seems to contain trace amounts of Nickel, I wonder if it could be removed entirely without affecting the material.

Right, brilliant thinking. Lets change one of the most common building materials because someone gets a rash when holding it for hours on end...