How to Get Fiberglass Out of Skin

How to Remove Fiberglass From Skin

Fiberglass is a common man-made material found in many household and office products. During renovation or construction, you may be exposed to fiberglass dust. This dust contains glass fibers that can irritate your skin, eyes, nose, or throat.

Removing Fiberglass from Your Skin

While touching fiberglass doesn’t usually lead to long-term effects on your health, exposure to it may cause intense itching, redness, or a rash. So, it’s important to remove fiberglass from your skin as soon as possible so it doesn’t come in contact with your eyes, nose, or throat.

If you’ve come into contact with fiberglass shards or you have a rash and itchiness after you were exposed to fiberglass, don’t rub or scratch the area. Immediately wash the exposed area with warm water and mild soap and wipe with a washcloth to remove the glass fibers from your skin.

Sometimes, you may be able to clearly see fiberglass fibers in your skin. After you’ve washed the area, use a small piece of adhesive tape over the area that was exposed to fiberglass and use the tape to pull out the shards.‌

Take a shower as soon as possible to wash off other traces of fiberglass that may have touched your skin.

‌Contact your doctor if necessary to treat any rash and other exposure symptoms, like coughing or itching.

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Lessen Your Chances of Exposure to Fiberglass

Many roofing, insulation, and heating materials may contain fiberglass, especially in older buildings. If you’re doing a construction project and start to feel itching or irritation on your skin, you may have been exposed to fiberglass dust.‌

Generally, to lessen your risk of fiberglass exposure on a worksite, do the following:

• Cover your skin with loose-fitting, full-coverage clothing. Always wear gloves, closed-toe shoes, eye goggles, and masks when working near fiberglass materials.
• Keep doors and windows open for better airflow and to lessen exposure to large amounts of fiberglass dust.
• Always wash your hands before eating, drinking, or smoking. Don’t leave food or drinks in the same room as fiberglass dust.
• Wash the clothes you wore on the job site immediately after exposure. Always wash work clothes separately from other clothes to prevent the spread of fiberglass shards. Clean your washing machine thoroughly after you wash your work clothes.
• Wet the floors and use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove fiberglass dust. Never dry sweep fiberglass dust.

Safety Concerns About Fiberglass Exposure

Even though getting fiberglass out of your skin isn’t easy, not removing it at all can be dangerous to your health.

Untreated, repeated exposure to fiberglass can lead to a skin inflammation called dermatitis — This may trigger an allergic reaction.‌

If you notice that your rashes caused by fiberglass exposure are getting worse, talk to your doctor immediately.

Fiberglass can easily transfer from your hands to your eyes, nose, throat, or other parts of your body — where it can be even more dangerous to your health. If you think you may have gotten fiberglass in any of these areas, take steps to remove the fibers and get medical help right away. ‌

You may breathe in fiberglass while you check the exposed area on your skin. If you breathe in fiberglass, you may have irritation in your nose and throat along with coughing, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, and nosebleeding. ‌

These symptoms are often worse in people with asthma or bronchitis. ‌

Dry sweeping, poor ventilation, and not wearing goggles can also raise your chances of exposure to fiberglass.

Fiberglass dust on your hands and in the air can be painful if it gets in your eyes. If you get fiberglass in your eyes, use running water or an eyewash station to flush your eyes for 15 minutes. Lift your upper and lower lids to remove dust trapped near your eye.

Even after removing fiberglass from the exposed area, you may keep having redness, rash, itching, and discomfort. But it’s rare for people to have long-term effects from fiberglass exposure.

Contrary to popular belief, fiberglass isn’t known to cause cancer in humans. Exposure doesn’t make it more likely that you’ll develop respiratory cancers or other lung diseases.

Talk to your doctor for more information about soothing your skin, eyes, nose, or throat after fiberglass exposure.

Show Sources

‌Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology: “Systemic allergic contact dermatitis to fiberglass in a factory worker of wind turbine blades.”

‌Illinois Department of Public Health: “Fiberglass.”

‌New Jersey Department of Health: “HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE FACT SHEET.”

‌NYC Health: “Fiberglass.”

‌Washington State Department of Health: “Fiberglass.”

How to Get Fiberglass Out of Skin

Carrie Madormo, RN, MPH, is a freelance health writer with over a decade of experience working as a registered nurse in a variety of clinical settings.

Updated on October 26, 2022

Leah Ansell, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and an assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

After performing any home renovations, inspect your skin for irritation. If you notice a red, itchy rash on exposed skin, you may have come into contact with fiberglass.

When fiberglass enters your skin, it’s important to wash the area as soon as possible to help remove any of the pieces. You can gently wipe any larger, visible pieces of fiberglass off your skin with a damp cloth. If there is still irritation, you’ll need to see a healthcare provider. Fiberglass shards will only continue to cause problems if it stays in your skin.

What Is Fiberglass?

Fiberglass is a synthetic or man-made material that consists of tiny fibers of glass. It is a common source of insulation in homes. Fiberglass can enter the environment when it is manufactured, packaged, used, and disposed of by insulation workers and others. Once exposed, you may experience pain, itching, skin irritation, coughing, and wheezing.

How to Remove Fiberglass Out of Skin

Here’s how to get fiberglass out of your skin, step by step:

1. First, leave your work area to prevent the inhalation of fiberglass particles.
2. Wash the area with mild soap and cold water immediately. The sooner you can wash the fiberglass off, the less irritation it cause. Avoid hot or warm water since this will cause the pores in your skin to open and lodge the fiberglass deeper into the skin.
3. If you are able to see larger particles of fiberglass, gently remove them with a cold washcloth or by applying and removing an adhesive tape to your skin.
4. Once you have washed the area, remove your clothing and wash it separately from other laundry.
5. Never scratch or rub irritated skin; this could spread the fiberglass and cause more irritation.
6. If you are concerned that fiberglass particles entered your eyes, flush them out with clean water for at least 15 minutes. Your employer may have an eyewash solution available as well.
7. If you continue to experience skin irritation and pain, see your healthcare provider.

Being Exposed to Fiberglass

Being exposed to fiberglass is most likely to happen at work. Fiberglass is used in insulation, walls, ceilings, and ventilation ducts. If fiberglass materials are damaged, they can release tiny particles into the air. These tiny particles look like dust. When this happens, we may touch, ingest, or breathe them in without realizing it.

Workers who install or fix insulation are at an increased risk for coming in contact with fiberglass. If you work in construction, electronics, plastics or wind energies industries, you may also be at increased risk.

If the insulation or structures in your home contain fiberglass, it’s unlikely that you will ever be exposed. Fiberglass exposures are usually only a risk when you’re handling damaged materials or moving them around the house.  

How to Limit Exposure

If you plan to work with home insulation, pipes or other fiberglass-containing materials, there are steps you can take to protect yourself:

• Open a window to improve ventilation and air quality
• Wear a mask and goggles to prevent particles from coming in contact with your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Wear loose-fitted clothing with long sleeves and pants to prevent your skin from coming in contact with the particles. Loose-fitted clothing will help prevent skin rubbing and irritation
• Opt for clothing that is tightly woven to prevent fiberglass particles from being able to reach your skin
• Wear leather gloves with a smooth finish and steel-toed boots while working
• If you are working with materials overhead, such as insulation, a head covering may be helpful
• Once you are finished working, use a shop vacuum to clean up any microscopic fibers
• Wash your work clothes separately from other clothing in your household, and rinse the washing machine when you are finished

In addition to personal actions you can take, there are federal rules for reducing exposure as well. As of 1999, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established guidelines for limiting workers’ exposure to fiberglass. According to the recommendations, during an eight-hour workday, a worker should not be exposed to more than “one breathable glass fiber per cubic centimeter of air.” This is meant to ensure that there is enough airflow to prevent the inhalation of fiberglass.

Risks of Fiberglass

The risks of working with fiberglass are usually short-term, and symptoms should resolve once the fiberglass is removed. The long-term effects of fiberglass exposure are not well documented.

Skin Irritation

If fiberglass particles become lodged in your skin, you may notice a red, itchy rash known as contact dermatitis. This usually occurs on any skin that was exposed while working with fiberglass.

Contact dermatitis refers to skin irritation caused by contact with an irritant, and is the most common type of occupational skin condition. Fiberglass exposure can also cause skin peeling and small lesions or blisters.

Other Complications

Being exposed to fiberglass can lead to respiratory symptoms as well. If fiberglass is inhaled, larger particles can get trapped in your airway and smaller particles can travel to and settle in the lungs. This can lead to:

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Itching
• Worsened asthma symptoms

When fiberglass is ingested into the gastrointestinal tract, it is usually eliminated through bowel movements. If you have noticed any of these symptoms after working with fiberglass, it’s a good idea to see your healthcare provider.

Risk of Cancer

Fiberglass exposure can lead to irritation, but it has not been linked to cancer. According to the Wisconsin State Department of Health, the National Academy of Sciences reviewed studies on fiberglass exposure in workers in 2000. The academy found that “glass fibers do not appear to increase the risk of respiratory system cancer” in workers and do not qualify as a carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agent.  

Summary

Fiberglass is a synthetic material made from tiny pieces of glass and can be irritating if touched or inhaled. There are easy ways to remove fiberglass particles that are lodged in the skin at home, and fiberglass exposure is generally not life-threatening. Wearing proper protective equipment while doing construction work involving fiberglass is the best way to prevent this problem from happening.

If you have been exposed to fiberglass during work or think fiberglass has touched your skin, gently wash the affected area with water and a mild soap. If you continue to experience skin irritation or pain, see your healthcare provider for medical assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will fiberglass come out of skin on its own?

Eventually, fiberglass splinters may work their way out, particularly when it’s a small amount. However, they can cause discomfort, and if they aren’t removed, may transfer to other areas of the body.

Will vinegar get fiberglass out of skin?

There doesn’t appear to be scientific proof that vinegar helps get fiberglass out of your skin. Health providers typically recommend washing with soap and water.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Washington State Department of Health. Fiberglass.
2. Owens Corning. Material safety data sheet.
3. Insulation Institute. Health & safety.
4. Illinois Department of Public Health. Fiberglass.
5. Peate WE. Occupational skin disease. Am Fam Physician. 2002 Sep 15;66(6):1025-32.
6. United States Department of Labor. Synthetic Mineral Fibers.
7. DermNet NZ. Fiberglass dermatitis.

Additional Reading

• Camacho I, Rajabi-Estarabadi A, Eber AE, Griggs JW, Margaret SI, Nouri K, Tosti A. Fiberglass dermatitis: clinical presentations, prevention, and treatment – a review of literatures. Int J Dermatol. 2019 Oct;58(10):1107-1111. doi:10.1111/ijd.14407
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Fibrous glass.

By Carrie Madormo, RN, MPH
Carrie Madormo, RN, MPH, is a health writer with over a decade of experience working as a registered nurse. She has practiced in a variety of settings including pediatrics, oncology, chronic pain, and public health.