# Walnut shell skin reaction..



## WolverineMarine (Sep 26, 2009)

Hey guys..I was at work the other day shootin the breeze with my foreman waiting for our other guy to drop branches and he got cute and threw a couple of walnuts and a couple of em hit their mark and tagged me..anyways..(I switched the controls to the lower part of the truck and left him up there for about an hr for being a smartass) I thought I had some bruising on my chest and shoulder..no big deal..well..yesterday I woke up and the bruising wasnt bruising..it had turned in a giant blister like sore that the skin peeled away from..like a bunch of layers of skin..reminded me of a chemical/bad sunburn blister..I tried putting aloe/burn stuff on it..but it doesnt seem to be helping much..my question is has anyone heard of anything similar to this..and do I need to go see my Dr?


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## Panama (Sep 26, 2009)

The walnut trees burn me also. I get the same burn/blister spots on my arms when I don't wear sleeves. I doubt you need to see a doc unless infection or an allergic type reaction develops, but If I was a doc, I would have to charge you $400 just to tell you that. 
I have learned to limit exposure with PPE and use a hand saw as much as practical, then cut with the "top of the chainsaw bar" to discharge chips away from me. I am unaware of anything that helps besides prevention and immediate removal with soap & water. It's just the tree saying "Leave me alone!"


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## Rookie1 (Sep 26, 2009)

Ive got a yardful of walnuts and amglad Im not allergic to them. Ive never heard of anybody with a problem with them. Interesting


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## lego1970 (Sep 26, 2009)

I knew a guy that would get rashes from climbing walnut trees. BTW, I never run a bucket truck without a rope and a fire extingisher with me.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Sep 26, 2009)

That's pretty serious - make sure you NEVER eat anything with walnut in it! :jawdrop:



I suggest *coconut oil*. It's pretty amazing stuff. I used to believe in aloe for burns. Not since I"ve seen what coconut oil does to a burn! Cleared up my mom's eczema, too, after many failed attempts by the doctors. Best thing in the world for a baby's bottom, too. Also good for, uh, _personal _use. Your wife will thank you.


Most health food stores carry it, and some grocery stores. Call around and see what you can find. Generally runs about 10-12 bucks a pound in stores. Make sure you get the organic kind.

We get ours at http://tropicaltraditions.com There's a lot of good info there. You need it quick, so see if you can find it locally.


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## Panama (Sep 27, 2009)

I'm not allergic to walnuts at all, and have eaten them all my life. The tree sap still causes me skin burns though. I thought perhaps it might be the level of tannins in some walnut trees but as i am not blistered by persimmon trees, I suspect it may be the Juglone, which has the highest concentrations in the buds and nut hulls.


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## PurdueJoe (Sep 27, 2009)

I'll get a slight rash when climbing if I get direct skin contact. Something to think about. You get a guy you work with that either can take a joke or you don't like. Rub the shell on their hardhat sweatband. You get what happens next.


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## brnchbrkr (Sep 27, 2009)

http://trees.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_black_walnut_tree

poisinous to horses and dogs.


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## WolverineMarine (Sep 27, 2009)

I have never had a problem eating walnuts..I don't care for them anyways..but I don't recall having any reactions if there happened to be some in the brownies..it SEEMS to be healing..and it doesn't really burn much now..just looks a little unsightly..I keep putting aloe/burn gel on it..and it seems to be helping I guess..I know from now on if someone plays around its gonna be a little more serious of a problem and I may have to inflict a little pain to the offender to get the point across properly..LOL


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## Curlycherry1 (Sep 27, 2009)

First off tree nuts are different than peanuts. Peanuts have a different chemical that causes the sever reactions we all hear about these days. You can be allergic to peanuts but have no problems with tree nuts.

What you got is a contact dermatitus. I get the exact same thing from coming in contact with gas plants. I found it out the VERY hard way years ago when I was staining my deck in shorts and I spent about 30 minutes standing in the gas plants. Two days later my skin on my legs was one swollen festing blistery mess. 

Walnut dust has been known to cause alergic reactions to people working with the wood. When I hand sand walnut I get a runny nose. I recently made a vanity for my bathroom out of walnut and when I was working with it I wore a mask and i had not problems. A few weeks earlier I was doing some sanding on the same walnut project and I got the sniffles for a few hours after sanding.

Beware, the stuff can cause problems if the blisters are big enough. Avoid skin contact and wear clothes only once when working around walnut trees and dust.


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## WolverineMarine (Sep 27, 2009)

Well..the big one on my chest is about the size of my fist, and the one on my shoulder is about the size of a plum..if it doesn't heal up or it gets infected I'll be headed to the Dr.'s office shortly thereafter..I've been doing alot of climbing in black/english walnuts up here and never had any problems that I knew of..I have been itching alot the last few weeks since I started there..that very well could be the cause..I dunno..my health care is free till Jan b/c of the Marines..but I'm not exactly a hypochondriac..and something major better be wrong before I decide to take time off of work..I think there is some toxin in the outer covering of the shell that the tree uses to discourage animals from eating them that seems to have caused the problem..again..I'll hold out a couple more days and see what happens..


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## Rickytree (Sep 27, 2009)

I get a reaction from the saw chips that land on my skin. Especially when the sweat mixes with them and the pores of the skin are open. It would leave like a burn or the one looked like a scratch on my face because of the drip of sweat. When working with walnuts now I try to wipe off the chips or dust as soon as I can. The marks went away after a week or so. Good luck!!


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## ClimbThatTree (Jul 17, 2021)

WolverineMarine said:


> Hey guys..I was at work the other day shootin the breeze with my foreman waiting for our other guy to drop branches and he got cute and threw a couple of walnuts and a couple of em hit their mark and tagged me..anyways..(I switched the controls to the lower part of the truck and left him up there for about an hr for being a smartass) I thought I had some bruising on my chest and shoulder..no big deal..well..yesterday I woke up and the bruising wasnt bruising..it had turned in a giant blister like sore that the skin peeled away from..like a bunch of layers of skin..reminded me of a chemical/bad sunburn blister..I tried putting aloe/burn stuff on it..but it doesnt seem to be helping much..my question is has anyone heard of anything similar to this..and do I need to go see my Dr?


Just learned all about black walnuts last night. I have a magnificent 80 plus year old tree, and after goofing around in the backyard for a few weeks, my foot became numb. I'm like what? So I read about it. It's that toxin that is in every part of the tree, and it's basically an herbicide. Wow. Really limits what I can plant underneath the tree, and I guess I won't be standing around back there barefoot anymore, ha ha. It will also be another chore: honey did you get out there an clean up after that walnut tree!? yep, picking up after the walnut tree, my new gig.


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## lone wolf (Jul 17, 2021)

WolverineMarine said:


> Hey guys..I was at work the other day shootin the breeze with my foreman waiting for our other guy to drop branches and he got cute and threw a couple of walnuts and a couple of em hit their mark and tagged me..anyways..(I switched the controls to the lower part of the truck and left him up there for about an hr for being a smartass) I thought I had some bruising on my chest and shoulder..no big deal..well..yesterday I woke up and the bruising wasnt bruising..it had turned in a giant blister like sore that the skin peeled away from..like a bunch of layers of skin..reminded me of a chemical/bad sunburn blister..I tried putting aloe/burn stuff on it..but it doesnt seem to be helping much..my question is has anyone heard of anything similar to this..and do I need to go see my Dr?


Wait till you get the sawdust in your eyes! Yes Walnut does this prepare accordingly next time.


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## KarlD (Jul 17, 2021)

Bastard walnut. They’re like bloody Velcro trees and everyone wants me to do 1m crown reductions on them. All you have to do is look at the little twiggy tips and they break off…and then you try to drop a tiny piece through the crown and they literally hang up on thin air. I’m like a hippo up a tree at the best of times…frigging walnuts…I hate them. I don’t get rashes etc from them…but I class myself as allergic to them


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## tree MDS (Jul 17, 2021)

Maybe it is because you are all pussies!!? Lol


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## BC WetCoast (Jul 29, 2021)

Awesome, someone has to get medical aid, which means accident reports, investigations and untold amounts of paperwork. On powerline contracts, the power company gets a copy of all accident reports

The crew loses about $700 in revenue due to retaliation. Someone's getting suspended or fired.


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