tree allergies

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Wed, April 09, 2008

Does having an allergy to cedar or juniper trees mean I am only allergic to the pollen it produces? Would I react to a cedar closet?

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John Saintstone

4/11/08 2:21am

jmwesley, I used to be asthmatic. Concerning your cedar closet, it may occurr depending on how new is your closet or what kind of finishing it has. Anyway I would recommend you to visit www.asthmaknife.com there you can contact a very well know group of scientist that are currently eliminating many chronic disease from the world, so I am sure that your allergie won't be problem.

Regards,

John S.

4/11/08 11:24am

I don't think jmwesley was asking about asthma. And I have never read about or heard of any "cure" for asthma.

But to answer jmwesley's question, I have looked for answers to that same question and there aren't many good ones. The best thing I found was from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. They said that "Log or cedar homes do not present special problems for tree allergic individuals provided that well-cured wood is used in construction"

Any chemicals in the wood that might set off allergies also wouldn't be released unless you burned the wood or scraped it.

But I think you should ask your doctor specifically. If you do, tell us what the doctor tells you because I'm really curious!

DeejTu

4/26/08 11:06pm

I am not an expert by any means...however, the pollen is generally the culprit in most allergies. I came across this site trying to determine if the Central Oregon juniper trees are what bother me so much. Many years ago, I suffered from hay fever (sometimes my eyes would swell shut) and a poison oak allergy, but these disappeared. I now live outside of Bend, OR surrounded by juniper trees and if anyone has any info regarding this, I would appreciate their input.

Younger

1/15/10 4:13pm

I lived in Central Oregon for about 15 years and around year 10 I noticed that every March I would get an itchy rash around my eyes and feel achy and sick. I went to the doctor and she said I developed allergy to Juniper trees. She gave me a cortizone shot in the hip that she said would last about 3 or 4 weeks and would take me through the worst of the season. It worked and for the next 5 years I lived there I would run to the docs the minute I noticed symptoms. I know the shots aren't good for you but the four or five I had the doc said would hurt me and made me feel a lot better.

BeckyL

4/24/10 6:44pm

Although cedar or juniper pollen allergy may not be related to an allergy to cedar wood, do be aware that some people are allergic to cedar wood and to clothes stored in cedar chests or cedar closets. I LOVE the smell of cedar wood, but when I got a cedar chest I discovered that after I wore a sweater stored there, the next day my eyes would be swollen and I got a rash where the sweater touched my skin. I tried washing the sweaters, but they still had this effect, and I had to give them away. Although nasal/pollen allergies may not be related to contact skin allergies, just be aware that some people will react to the wood.

Fran

7/23/11 10:54pm

While this is an older question maybe this answer will help someone. You may not only be allergic to the pollen, some people are very allergic to the terpenes as well. The terpenses are what gives that smell to cedar, junipers, pines, and most all conifers. Many people are allergic to the terpenes year round like myself and cannot be near a conifer forest without becoming very ill. When allergy tests were done I was very allergic to the pollen but even more so to the terpenes.

Oh, and yes that is what terpentine is made from so people allergic to terpentine are allergic to conifer terpenes and vice versa.

If allergic to terpenes you would not wish to breath the wood when it fresh, the terpenes can be present for many years, and certainly would not wish to have skin contact.

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