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Nickel Allergies: What The Heck Is Mobile Phone Dermatitis? 10-16-08
You can't turn the other cheek
on this one. Excessive gabbing on your cell phone may not only run up your
bill—it can cause you to break out in a rash where the phone comes into contact
with your skin, according to new medical studies.
The British Association of Dermatologists has identified an allergic skin
disorder they have dubbed "mobile phone dermatitis." The ailment causes a rash
due to an allergic reaction to the phone's nickel surface, particularly in cell
casings and buttons.
"Prolonged or repetitive contact with a nickel-containing phone is more likely
to cause a skin reaction in those who are allergic," said Dr. Graham Lowe from
the British Association of Dermatologists, one of the authors of the study. "If
you have had a previous reaction to a nickel-coated belt buckle or jewelry, for
example, you are at greater risk of reacting to metal phones."
The research also found that women have a higher risk of developing mobile phone
dermatitis since they are more likely to have been previously sensitized to the
metal following an allergic reaction to nickel-coated jewelry.
"In mobile phone dermatitis, the rash would typically occur on the cheek or ear,
depending on where the metal part of the phone comes into contact with the
skin," Lowe said. "In theory, it could even occur on the fingers if you spend a
lot of time texting on metal menu buttons."
The association said that since the condition has only newly been identified,
many cases may go unreported or untreated, which prompted the scientists to
report their findings.
The new research drew information from earlier studies concerning patients with
unexplained rashes on their face and ear. One of those articles was from Dr.
Lionel Bercovitch of Brown University in Rhode Island, and appeared in the Jan.
1, 2008, issue of The Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Bercovitch and other Brown University researchers tested for nickel in 22
popular handsets from eight different manufacturers and a Bluetooth headset, and
found it present in 10 of the models.
"Nearly half of the phones we spot-tested contained some free nickel,"
Bercovitch said. "The menu buttons, decorative logos on the headsets and the
metallic frames around the liquid crystal display (LCD) screens were the most
common sites."
According to the results of Bercovitch's tests,
the following phone models did not
contain nickel: BlackBerry Pearl, Kyocera KX444, LG Verizon (NYSE:VZ)
VX8300, Motorola (NYSE:MOT) i580, Motorola i870, Nokia 6061, Nokia 6062, Nokia
6820, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6682, Palm Treo 650, SonyZ520a, Bluetooth headset,
Plantronics Explorer 320 model.
The following cell models found to
contain nickel in the headset (decorative logo): Motorola L2, Motorola
Rzr, Motorola SLVR and Motorola Q.
Cell phones that contained nickel
elsewhere on their models were: BlackBerry 8700c (speakerphone, on the
back of the phone); Samsung e150 (metal around the screen and menu button);
Samsung d807, menu button; Sony Ericsson W600i, menu button; Sony Ericsson,
W810i; menu button; and Sony Ericsson T610, handset, if the paint is chipped.