Question from Cheryl3
Hi Debra and all,
The eyeglasses my husband is considering are stainless steel front, with a zyl temple that contains a stainless steel core, silicone nose pads. I’m told by the manufacturer they contain no nickel or copper. They are covered partially by our insurance and are nice looking. However, I guess there are some concerns about stainless steel.
We could look further at places where we’d have to pay fully out of pocket to see if we can get all zyl frames since that seems the least toxic but my concern is with his schedule being so tight and it being very difficult to get info from manufacturers about specific frame composition we might not end up finding any he finds aesthetically appealing while the whole “get glasses” project is dragging on and if we end up opting for the stainless steel pair, they may no longer have them. Then we’d need to start all over again. Most of the plastic frames just say “plastic” and I have to contact each manufacturer to confirm what type of plastic. A lot of times they don’t get back to me.
Do you think these stainless steel frames are pretty safe? He has no known allergy to stainless steel, but we are trying to avoid heavy metal overexposure for some health issues he has.
Thank you so much as always,
Cheryl
Debra’s Answer
I had to look up what “xyl” is…short for xylonite, it’s just a new name for old cellulose acetate, a plastic made from plant cellulose.
Stainless steel is fine if you are not cooking food in it or putting it next to your skin for long hours.
So stainless steel front with zyl temples and silicone nose pads sounds fine to me. I don’t see any toxic exposures there.
Too bad there isn’t a website where we could add notes about all the products we have researched. Maybe companies would start paying more attention to the materials they used if we put that information out there. as well as us benefiting from our collective researches.
Do people have problems with titanium frames ? Is there a link that rates the relative safety of various eyeglass materials? Thanks.
I’m actually working on this.
I SO understand how difficult it is to find high quality accessible eyeglass frames! I researched and tested longer than I care to publicly admit before I finally found tolerable zyl frames on sale from LaFont (rather than titanium, stainless steel, or petroleum based acetates).
In my experience, many optical shops are not well educated and/or articulate about material content. For example, while several manufacturers advertise “nickel free” stainless steel frames, they are legally able to do so even when there is some nickel (albeit at low levels). While this is not sufficient for everyone, it may be low enough to meet your husband’s needs.
If you’re still concerned, your best bet is to contact the manufacturer of your husband’s preferred frames and ask the following 3 questions (regardless of the country of origin).
* Are your frames compliant with EU standards for nickel content? (Note: The EU used to have the healthiest standards re nickel until manufacturers in Italy protested that it was too prohibitive and costly. Now the allowable limits are higher, but still better than most.)
* Do your frames contain ANY nickel?
* Are your screws, hinges, and nose piece arms nickel free? If so, what materials did you use for these pieces?
Yes… it is a pain when they don’t respond to calls and e-mails. I found it most helpful to ask for the names and phone numbers of cooperative manufacturer contacts from optical shop owners.
The alternative is to purchase a nickel detection kit. (See, e.g., nonickel.com. NFI, YMMV)
Once you decide to proceed, I recommend ordering a frame that can be returned and tested at home for a few days before filling the Rx. (Some shops will do this without requiring a restocking fee.)
Caution! Some shop owners will insist that it’s extraordinarily rare to react to the small amount of nickel and, if you do, you can brush a sealant over them that will work fine. If so, run, do not walk, to the nearest exit! Many folks report that it goes on rather like nail polish, chips nearly as easily, and is a huge waste of time and money.
Good luck!