fingers in the ultrasonic for a short while.
NO!!! NO!!! My husband is a dentist, there is great danger in
putting your fingers into the ultra sonic. What happens is that
some dentists did that and it damages the hands. I can’t
remember the article in the Dental Magazine, but it caused
irreparible damage to either the bones or fluid in the joints.
Forgot which, but I don’t do it any more. Pat
Huh?! I’ve been putting my hands in the ultrasonic cleaner for
28 years. I’ve never in the past or even today experienced any
“damage” at all. What, pray tell are you talking about?
Bruce D. Holmgrain
Maryland’s first JA Certified Senior Bench Jeweler
@Bruce_Holmgrain
http://www.goldwerx.nu
703-593-4652
Huh?! I've been putting my hands in the ultrasonic cleaner for 28 years. I've never in the past or even today experienced any "damage" at all.
You have just been lucky to date. This is a dangerous practice
and I have seen the results of people doing it.
Bruce, Have you been doing this with the ultrasonic on (buzzing)
or off? Off is no problem, as it is the same as putting your
hands into a tub of solution, but this is the first time I’ve
ever heard of anyone putting their hands in the sonic over such
an extended period of time with no ill effect.
Kat Tanaka
@Katherine_Tanaka
Hi manmountain dense, It might sound surprising, but some
medicos have researched the effect of ultrasonic cavitation on
human bone tissue and found it to be distinctly deleterious. I’m
tracking down the occupational health and safety data on this for
Charles Luton-Brain who politely asked for details. Watch this
space. Kind regards, Rex from Oz
Years ago I used to put my fingertips into an ultrasonic to
clean them. While doing it one time I started thinking of the
agitation process that an ultrasonic uses, the creation and
implosion of tiny air bubbles. I got a funny feeling in my
stomach thinking of this process happening with my blood inside
my fingers, and figured it just can’t be a good thing. I don’t
do it anymore. Now I just use a small scrub brush and dish soap
or hand soap (I have scrub brushes at every place I wash my
hands). That seems to work pretty good for me, especially when I
do it at the end of taking a shower when my hands have been in
water a while. I also use a hoof conditioner on my fingertips
when they start getting a little cracked or rough. Most of the
time (while not working) my hands are nice and clean. Rick B
Gainesville, Fl
I've been putting my hands in the ultrasonic cleaner for 28 years. I've never in the past or even today experienced any "damage" at all. What, pray tell are you talking about?
In essenced, Bruce, in SOME, not all, people, it can aggrevate
arthritis, or cause similar feeling joint irritation. If
repeated enough, for long enough, in some people the result can
be permanent damage. And the cleaning solutions we use in
ultrasonics tend to be quite efficient and fairly harsh in terms
of removing skin oils, so coupled with the effectiveness of an
ultrasonic, some people are gonna be getting really dry skin this
way…
but not everybody reacts this way, and it depends also on your
sonic. Some are more powerful than others. And to some people,
the dip is momentary, while others expect to stick their hands in
there and feel the tingle and let it do all the work…
peter Rowe
hi, i have no idea what effect that chronic immersing one’s body
parts in the sonic has. i do know that the medical field uses
ultra sonic treatment for deep punctures. the sonic will cause a
cavitating action with your blood, just as it does with the
water.
when i stuck a graver deeply into my knuckle some years back the
dr. used an ultra sonic ‘wand’ to cause blood to go where it
usually wouldn’t to heal the bone. also, ultrasound used for
examining expectant moms and other things inside the body
utilizes ultra sound.
best regards,
geo fox
Hi Gang,
Be careful how you define ‘ultrasonic’.Different ultrasonic
cleaners are made using different frequencies. Be careful about
applying ‘blanket statements’ to all ultrasonic cleaners. In
addition to the frequency, the power of the transducer & the
length of time in the cleaner have a great affect on the item.
Dave
I clean my hands in the turned on ultrasonic, and have been
since "74. I don’t usually immerse my fingers straight down
since the backs of them don’t get much dirt on them. I lay the
pads of my fingers on the surface.
DC
Interestingly enough, a relatively recent development in
osteogenesis (bone growth) stimulation uses ultrasound to
accelerate the healing of fractures. I suppose that, much like
electrical stimulation, whether the effect is harmful,
beneficial, or negligible depends on the frequency and amplitude
of the signal. One thing is sure-- it would be a mistake to
assume that ultrasound has no effect on human bone or soft
tissue.
As Lee Einer noted, it is most likely the frequency and/or
amplitude which makes exposure to ultrasound harmful or healing.
Totally unscientifically, I will note that when I received
ultrasound therapy after a car accident ten years ago, the
vibration was barely noticeable, especially contrasted to the
vigorus thrum of an ultrasonic cleaner…
The difference between a high pressure shower head, and a
firefighter’s hose, I’d imagine.
Kat Tanaka
@Katherine_Tanaka
Hi all - This is a wonderful hand ointment that a friend of mine
got me using; she has terribly sensitive skin that blisters and
cracks all year long… and has found this to be just what she
needs: Aquafilic Ointment. It’s carried behind the counter at
drugstores, but is not a prescription. Here on the east coast,
where everything is expensive, it runs about $10 a pound – but
worth every penny. Doesn’t take much…
Laura
lwiesler@att.net