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Dear Listmates,

I've received many replies about gluten reactions through skin
contact or aroma particles.  This was not intended for myself, but
to help me understand the extent of damaged caused by exposure
to gluten.
 Most of the responses were anecdotal evidence, i.e.,
personal experiences and hypothoses.  Of those, most people said
that the smell of bread or using a gluten containing product on
their skin caused no reaction.

Quotes:
As to reactions of smelling bread, I think the mind is a powerful thing
and possibly is fooling the body.  My husband makes fresh bread for our
family 3 or 4 times a week, and I bake cakes, muffins etc. with flour
for my family as I am the only Celiac.  To date I have NEVER had a
reaction to baking bread or flour products.  I do enjoy the smell but
beyond that there is no reaction.
                       *********************
My husband has DH, but I don't eat wheat.  My kids do, tho, and I bake
bread for them because then I know what's in the bread.  Anyhow, my
husband has never had a reaction to the smell in the 5-6 years I've
been using my machine.
                      **********************
After investigating this question myself (including quizzing my uncle
who is a chemist), I've found that proteins (which include gluten)
cannot be absorbed through the skin.  Otherwise, all the 40.00 a jar
collegen and elastin face cremes would work, rendering us all
wrinkle-free. This is aside from allergic reactions on the skin.  But,
celiac disease isn't a skin allgery!  Fact of the matter is, that nature
made our skin as a protective covering.  If it wasn't, then 2 hours of
swimming in a pool would cause you to literally drown in your own
body.
                     ************************
My personal opinion about the baking bread would be more of a problem
with the yeast......BUT....I am allergic to corn and I get a reaction
from corn popping in a microwave or on the stove.  So however or
whatever is happening with the bread baking I am sure it would only be
reasonable to assume a celiac could have a reaction from bread baking or
even possibly from a dust of wheat flour being inhaled.
                      **********************
Everything is absorbed through the skin. You should not put anything
on your skin that you normally would not ingest. Similarly if you can
smell it that means that there are enough molecules of the substance
in your nose to trigger a smell reaction so if you are allergic to it
you can get a reaction. It merely depends upon how sensitive you are.
Some people who are very allergic to peanuts can get a reaction just
if someone near them is eating peanuts. Hence the controversy about
the use of peanuts on airlines and in schools. I hope that this has
been helpful.
                     ***********************
I have no personal experience with wheat odors making me ill, but I do
have with corn.  It is similar to what I experience with ingesting corn,
but not identical.   I don't know what the mechanism is.  My son worked
the popcorn stand at school one night and came home smelling pretty
strong of the stuff.  My nose was plugged up, and as far as I knew, he'd
kept score.  I couldn't smell it, but it made me sick all the same.
                         **********************

From a scientist:
I must say I suspect that the reaction to the smell of
bread is in the same category as that of those dogs who
salivated when a bell was rung.

As a scientist/engineer, I frequently am bereft of words
(very unusual for someone like me who suffers from verbal
diarrhoea) when I read some of the postings on this list.

The problem probably breaks down into several parts:-

1 People with coeliac are prone to other allergies and
intolerances and confuse them with coeliac or simply do not
differentiate them from it, believing that "it's all
coeliac disease".

2 Pavlovian responses.

3 (I don't like this one but the missionary zeal sometimes
used leads me to have very strong suspicions with some
people) Hysterical Reaction.

4 Severe physical and probably mental stressors "mopping
up" more essential micronutrients (vitamins etc) than a
coeliac gut can absorb, thus giving some or all of the
reactions caused by coeliac disease.

And Finally (probably one of the smallest groups)

5 Actual coeliac reactions which have yet to be
scientifically described.

Incidentally my wife gets a reaction from using shampoo
containing wheatgerm.  This is a skin reaction NOT a
coeliac one and I imagine she has a slight allergic
sensitivity to some protein component in wheat as well as
the coeliac intolerance.  It's interesting that she does
not get this response from Codex Alimentarius purified
wheat starch. Maybe the response is locked to the skin
cells (eg complement reaction).
                     **********************
From a Chemistry Student:
Once the gluten has been broken down to amino acids, the toxicity is
lost. Amino acids are not a problem. Only the protein itself OR
fragments would betoxic to celiacs. Gluten (gliadin) is a certain
sequence of amino acids. The toxicity is lost, once you break it down to
the building blocks. All proteins consist of the same amino acids.
The toxic protein fragments are definitely NOT volatile. It's highly
unlikely that enough gluten would enter the body just by the "smell",
even for hyper-sensitive celiacs. I don't think gluten has a smell by
the way. What you smell are volatile compounds that develop when you
bake bread. Airborn wheat flour could be a problem of course. And it's
different for allergies. I know people allergic to peanuts can get sick
from just the smell of peanuts. I think this means they are sensitive to
some volatile compound of peanuts. Gluten is NOT volatile.
                       *************************
And from the other side of the question...those who feel that topical
or nasal exposure can cause harm: NOTE: This side contains purely
anecdotal evidence.

When you detect an odor it is because molecules of the substance have
reached the receptors in the nose.  Since gluten molecules can be
recognised by the body, I would say yes.  I know this is pretty eye
opening when you think of some of the things you smell on the air.
                        ***********************
As far as the odors go, odor is taking in particles. it is kind of gross
if you think about it but the molecules do at least get to
your nose. at least that is what we learned in biology. I posted on
airborne wheat a while ago and if you want the summary I
will give it to you. or check the archives.
                        ***********************
Everything is absorbed through the skin. You should not put anything
on your skin that you normally would not ingest. Similarly if you can
smell it that means that there are enough molecules of the substance
in your nose to trigger a smell reaction so if you are allergic to it
you can get a reaction. It merely depends upon how sensitive you are.
Some people who are very allergic to peanuts can get a reaction just
if someone near them is eating peanuts. Hence the controversy about
the use of peanuts on airlines and in schools.
                        ***********************

Again, I thank everyone who responded to my query.  BTW: This
was asked merely for the purposes of discussion, not for myself.
I don't have DH (but I do have CD).  I eat millet, canola oil,
use wheat germ oil cosmetics, work under the same roof as a bakery,
without reaction (so far!)

Gwynneth in Boston