A diagnosis of soy allergy brings about an entire lifestyle change; everything bought, consumed and even touched must be scanned and studied for the most recent soy derivatives. Only if you are lucky do you uncover a derivatives list. With such little information online for those with soy allergy, it is important to read about new innovations and uses for soy and how it affects you or the one you love.
The Problem With Natural Pesticides
Soy-based pesticides are used throughout the farming industry; methyl soyate, a soy-based larvicide spray was originally developed for use for the West Nile Virus mosquitoes and is being considered as a possible carrier solvent as well as a biodegradeable alternative to chlorinated and petroleum products. Since it is low in volatile organic compound emissions, it meets numerous environmental regulations, but at what cost to those with soy allergy and the general public's health, since many pesticides end up in our ground water?
Methyl soyate is already used in many personal care products, cleansers and degreasers, so for those with soy-allergy and their caretakers, ingredients on labels should be read and re-read to avoid contact. If you are finding skin rashes peak around bathtime, a diligent read through the ingredients in soaps or lotions may give you an answer. If this is not the case, you may want to try a shower filter which will take out any impurities in the bath's tap water and is highly recommended for those who are especially sensitive and allergic to many things.
Soy-Based Furniture?
Alarmingly, soy-based, flexible polyurethane is being used everywhere, even by several automotive companies, including Toyota. It is being utilized for furniture, replacing formaldehyde resins and is even being used for foam cushioning and bedding. The foam is being used under carpeting and even for some carpet coatings; this is a very important fact to consider for those with babies or who plan on having children. Since much of their time is spent crawling for the first couple of years, laying out cotton blankets washed in fragrance-free detergent where they crawl can help prevent a reaction.
Itchy Fingers?
According to the United Soybean Board, over 90 percent of the 1,500 newspapers in the United States use soy ink for press. A soy-based toner is being developed in Columbus, Ohio by the Battelle Memorial Institute in collaboration with the National Soybean Council to be used for copy machines and computer printers with work continuing in the research agencies with possibility of soy ink replacing regular ink in pens.
Why the soy craze with ink? Simple. In comparison to petroleum-based inks, it costs less to produce and has the added supposed benefit of being more environmentally friendly. It is even being used to print labels on clothing which could explain mysterious neck rashes for the one percent of the population who deal with this allergy daily and have to constantly read labels and avoid soy in all its forms, which appear to be popping up everywhere, from beauty products to crayons and even clothing and candles.
For those with severe soy allergies, rashes on the hands can be prevented by wearing non-latex disposable gloves when reading the newspaper.
Sources:
Soy New Uses. Web. Dec. 2009
Allergic Child Website. Dec. 2009
Maya Trimner - Maya L. Trimner is a food-allergy awareness activist and portrait artist. She manages mayashappyplace.com, a safe place for people with ...
