“Do brass accessories cause metal allergies?”
“Is brass bad for you? Is it toxic?”
You may be asked questions like this.
You are worried about the safety of brass accessories.
So today, I would like to write in detail about brass metal allergies and other disadvantages, as well as their causes and countermeasures.
What is brass?
The alloy of copper (element symbol: Cu) and zinc (element symbol: Zn) is collectively called brass.
It is manufactured by adding zinc to molten copper.
In familiar places, 5-yen coins are made of brass, and other alloys such as brass instruments are characterized by their golden color.
Why are there so many brass products in the world?
Brass is a metal that you often come in contact with, such as accessories, metal parts for clothes (fasteners and rivets), and belt buckles.
Both copper and zinc are abundant in materials, relatively inexpensive, and are alloys that can be precisely and mass-produced by casting.
Moreover, because of its golden appearance, it is also preferred for clothing and statues.
Another unusual feature of brass is its good tone. It is often used as an acoustic material for brass instruments, bells, Buddhist altars, tuning forks, etc. This is because the alloying of copper and zinc makes it harder (Young’s modulus increases) and the sound spreads better. If tin (element symbol: Sn) is also mixed, the stress inside the metal material will increase, the sound will spread better, and the tone will be clearer.
As an aside, there is a strong theory that the metal called Orichalcum or Hihiirokane in ancient times was brass. (Why was it brass? Sorry …)
Why do brass get metal allergies?
Metal allergy is a condition in which immunity overreacts to metal ions dissolved from metal. (Actually, there is a story about a difficult mechanism, such as a protein being altered by a metal ion, which becomes an antigen and a T cell becomes a cytokine, but it is omitted here because it is not difficult.)
Metal allergies are more likely to occur in brass, which is simply because brass is more prone to rust.
If you leave a 5-yen coin or a brass instrument with sweat on it, it will soon become cloudy with turquoise rust. This rust is sometimes called patina, but it is rust = metal ion. This rust causes metal allergies such as rash and itching.
Even if the rust is invisible, some people may feel a tingling sensation when they touch the coin all the time. It is a metal ion that has melted out.
Both copper ion and zinc ion are substances that are relatively easy to cause metal allergies.
What is the toxicity of brass? Is patina very poisonous?
The brass rust, patina, was thought to be extremely poisonous until the Showa era, and it seems that some textbooks and dictionaries also said that it was extremely poisonous.
When I was a kid, I heard that patina is poisonous and harmful when taken in the mouth.
However, this has been confirmed to be a mistake. Many symptoms of poisoning were seen in the copper refining field, but it seems that the cause was actually arsenic, which is abundant in copper minerals, which led to the myth that patina is extremely poisonous.
Neither copper nor zinc, nor copper ions, nor zinc ions are toxic. Rather, zinc ion is considered to be one of the essential minerals.
Only attention should be paid to metal allergies.
Measures against metal allergies in brass 1: Apply silver plating
Now, what should I do? First, if you have a metal allergy where the brass product is in contact with your skin, remove it so that it does not touch your skin. Symptoms should relieve after a while. If the symptoms still do not relieve, you should consult a medical institution.
And an effective countermeasure is to prevent the brass from coming into contact with the skin.
As one measure, silver plating the brass product can protect the surface from silver and prevent the brass from rusting.
Other than silver plating, gold plating is more effective. Gold plating is similar to the golden appearance of brass, so applying gold plating to your favorite brass accessories is one effective method. If it’s small, it doesn’t cost much.
However, if the plating is peeled off, the brass will be exposed and the effect will not be permanent. In addition, some people are sensitive to metal allergies to silver, gold, or the underlying metal during plating.
Also, due to the plating process, plating cannot be done unless only the metal part is taken out, so there is a limit to the shape that can be achieved.
For example, you can use this kit to apply gold plating yourself.
→ https://amzn.to/2XTaZzm
Measures against metal allergies in brass 2: Use a coating agent
Another countermeasure is to apply a plastic coating agent.
For example, this coating agent
→ https://amzn.to/2riyUvj
In this case, the brass can be prevented from coming into direct contact with the skin, and the transparent coating does not make it look uncomfortable. It can be coated as easily as nail polish.
However, the disadvantage of plastic coatings is that they are easily peeled off on a smooth polished metal surface. If the coating is peeled off, it will take time and effort to reapply it frequently.
Also, coating is not effective for complicated shapes such as chains. The chain cannot be coated well overall.
Measures against metal allergies in brass 3: Remake with another safe metal
The most radical solution is to remove the brass and replace it with a material that does not have to worry about metal allergies.
However, the cheaper the metal, the easier it is to corrode (rust), and conversely, the less rusty the metal, the more expensive it is.
Titanium is relatively inexpensive and more resistant to rust than gold or platinum, so if you can replace only the part that comes in contact with the skin with titanium, it will be an effective means.
It’s relatively easy to replace only the posts and hooks of brass piercings with pure titanium. For necklaces, it is also effective to replace only the chain with a pure titanium chain.
reference:
Pure titanium post parts
→ https://amzn.to/2VQjPxZ
Pure titanium hoop (hook parts)
→ https://amzn.to/2Yo987E
Pure titanium chain
→ https://amzn.to/2VVjg69
Pure titanium fasteners
→ https://amzn.to/3d1VniS
→ https://amzn.to/2KNH8lF
Coating agent (metal coat)
→ https://amzn.to/35nddKo
In addition, we can also mold brass accessories to make exactly the same shape in 18K gold or 22K gold.
If you inquire about which method is the best among 1, 2 and 3, we will guide you to the appropriate method.
