Weird, Unexplained Rash May Be From Your Electronics

If you have an unexplained rash is might be a reaction to your iPad!  It turns out the iPad might contain nickel, one of the most common allergy-inducing metals. There are reports in medical journals talking about nickel allergies from a variety of personal electronic devices, like tablets, laptops and cellphones.

According to the journal Pediatrics, it was an Apple iPad that caused a body rash in an 11-year-old boy recently treated at a San Diego hospital.  After he was treated, they put the iPad in a more protective case and it helped.

Whether all iPad models and other Apple devices contain nickel is uncertain. Apple had no comment.

But we all need to be aware of the possibility. It appears nickel allergies are becoming more common, or at least increasingly recognized. National data showing that about 25 % of children who get skin tests for allergies have nickel allergies, versus about 17 % ten years ago.