Tips for the safe use of Japan snack cooler as leaks can cause skin problems, deform materials

Tokyo – With increasing temperatures, many in Japan begin to reuse the prevention of heat shellers as “neck cooler” or “cool neck rings”, which have been kept in drawers or other places. While these cooling items are essential for the heat, users should be careful due to a deterioration against potential fluid leak, which can lead to skin problems such as rashes.

And exit fluently deformed vinyl table ceiling

Erika Miyajima, 42, from Tokyo, shared her experiences on social media with a photo of a vinyl ceiling, which had been deformed by a leak from a neck cooler. She bought the cooling item from a local supermarket last summer and regularly used it for outdoor activities to save it in the refrigerator in the low season.

On April 19 of this year, when the temperature in Tokyo crossed the 25-degree mark, it took out the neck of the neck for the first time in some time. After she had put it on her 10-year-old child for about 30 minutes, she left it on a vinyl table ceiling overnight. The next morning she found that the area in which the throat was placed was deformed. When she touched the tube, she was noticed that it was slimy and fluent.

“I didn't notice the leakage due to condensation when I took it out of the fridge. I don't think my child notices it because it is so deepened into her piece,” Miyajima told The Mainichi Shimbun. She checked another neck ring, bought last summer and was at room temperature and found that it was also leaking.

What is the liquid in the tube?

Reports on incidents related to neck coolers such as fluid leaks that lead redness on the neck and the content of the gluing and dermatitis were also found in the “accident information database”, an online database on accidents and consultations of consumer matters and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan.

Ring -shaped neck cooler use a “phase change material” (PCM), which alternates between liquid and solid conditions depending on the surrounding temperature. If it melts from firmly too liquid, it decreases warmth. So if it is worn out on the neck, it feels cool and offers a cooling effect for a certain period of time.

According to the “Chemical Product PL Center”, which provides for accidents and complaints from chemical products, PCM is mainly made from a kind of saturated hydrocarbons, which are referred to as “normal alkanas” and have the melting points based on the carbon number. The neck coolers used have a melting point of 28 ° C – higher than water.

A representative of the consultation center said: “saturated hydrocarbons are also referred to as” paraffins “and are similar to the ingredients used in candles and other products.” They demanded caution and said: “Liquid paraffin is essentially” oil “, and if it is leaked, it could change the resin in some types of tablecloths or cause a rash if it stays on the skin.”

Another thing that you should consider is that it is important to avoid open flames when there is a leak.

Recognize and bypass licks

How can we determine whether a neck cooler escapes? According to a representative of Genki Labo, a company that plans and sells daily goods, signs of leaks are partly reduced to unnatural dents or deformations, greasy liquids, sticky residues on the hands and the cooling effect after freezing. For products that are saved in the long term in the off -season, it is advisable to return them to a warm place in a liquid form, to check the surface condition and to check them before reuse.

If a neck cooler is worn without noticing leakage, the representative of another manufacturer recommends washing one of his content of skin or hair immediately with soap and flowing water. When skin anomalies occur, it is recommended to advise a doctor.

If not used over a longer period of time, neck coolers do not have to be stored in a refrigerator or freezer. Instead, they should be kept in bags to prevent the polyuretical surface from deforming and to become in stock at room temperature from direct sunlight or in a cool, dark place with a stable temperature.

(Japanese original by Hisako Sugita, Digital News Group)