Question from Donna
Hi Debra, Have you ever heard of anyone being allergic to hemp fabric?
I had some organic hemp/tencel roman shades made for my son’s room, as he has asthma. The first night we installed the shades, he started wheezing. He slept in our room the next two nights and was fine. We put him back in his room, and he started wheezing again. The pediatrician said it’s the pollen (it’s pollen season here), but I think it’s the shades. The designer who made the shades said that they are completely organic and not treated with any chemical, but when the sun shines on them, I can smell a very faint, sweet odor.
Thank you! Donna
Debra’s Answer
Anyone can be allergic to anything, particularly if it is a natural material. And if you say that there is a faint sweet odor when the sun shines on it, it sounds like hemp to me.
Hemp used in fabric and marijuana the drug are both the same plant, but they are grown differently for their different purposes. Hemp grown for fabric and other product uses contains very little THC, the substance that makes you high in the drug marijuana.
The bottom line is, if the windowcoverings are making your son wheeze, take them down.
I bought a hemp bed recently due to having latex allergies. The bed arrived a week ago and I let it off gas with windows open for two days. The next night after having windows open all day I noticed a strong smell and just thought it was still off gas. The next morning i woke up with a headache and sore throat. The more i used the bed the worse symptoms got. How after a week I cant use the bed or I get instant breathing difficulty and lips start to swell.
I do have sensitivity to perfumes and strong smells but now I am starting to wonder if I am allergic to the hemp.
Is this a possibility?
It is possible to be allergic to hemp but it is also possible there is something else in the mattress that is causing your reaction. Many mattresses claim to be all natural or organic but have hidden chemicals or include synthetic materials.