[Carol Richards]

Carol Richards  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Good Morning to you, I heard your radio conversations on Talk Rado 702 in South Africa this morning, while I was in my car, & thought I would like to ask you a question, please. 

Could you explain, if possible, why the sweat of a 44 year old man would stain the bed sheets a bright yellow? Would it be something he's taking, or something he might be smoking?  

What do you think?

[Jolly- Joliver]

Good Morning to you, I heard your radio conversations on Talk Rado 702 in South Africa this morning, while I was in my car, & thought I would like to ask you a question, please. 

Could you explain, if possible, why the sweat of a 44 year old man would stain the bed sheets a bright yellow? Would it be something he's taking, or something he might be smoking?   

What do you think?

Are you sure it was bright yellow? I would assume a discoloration to be comming from tiny dirt traces in the pours, if he has come into contact with some yellow coloured dust some where that might be the answer.

smoking rolling tobacco does turn fingers yellow, so it could be from tabbaco.

[Madidus_Scientia]

Sweat contains urea, he may have a higher than normal concentration of it in his sweat.

[RD]

http://www.ehow.com/list_7153190_causes-yellow-perspiration-stains_.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/107724-causes-yellow-perspiration/


Alcoholics can have copious "night sweats" and if their drinking has damaged their liver could have jaundice ...

Jaundice Definition: A condition that is identified by yellow color of the skin, whites of the eyes and mucous membranes. Body fluids including urine, tears and sweat also become deeply yellow

http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/digestivetract/g/Jaundice.htm

 

[Jolly- Joliver]

http://www.ehow.com/list_7153190_causes-yellow-perspiration-stains_.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/107724-causes-yellow-perspiration/


Alcoholics can have copious "night sweats" and if their drinking has damaged their liver could have jaundice ...

Jaundice Definition: A condition that is identified by yellow color of the skin, whites of the eyes and mucous membranes. Body fluids including urine, tears and sweat also become deeply yellow

http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/digestivetract/g/Jaundice.htm

 

Jaundice, I did think it could be but at the same time I wasnt sure it would change sweat yellow, and believed it was just skin.

[Bored chemist]

Sweat contains urea, he may have a higher than normal concentration of it in his sweat.

Quite possibly, but since urea is a white crystalline solid that dissolves easily in water...

Anyway, this might help a bit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromhidrosis

[Madidus_Scientia]

Ah, I see. For some reason I thought it was urea that made urine yellow.

[Karen W.]

The Jaundice thing I have heard and agree with my daughter had it as a infant... and also both my mom and grandma were heavy smokers and had the same problem with the nicotine coming out in their sweat from the pours.

[Meera]

It's more likely to be an excreted dye from a foodstuff e.g. turmeric, or a drug that has produced a coloured metabolite e.g. the antibiotic rifampicin colours tears orange.

[Geezer]

Excessive carrot consumption perhaps?

[Bored chemist]

Nicotine is a colourless liquid. It's also very toxic; more so than hydrogen cyanide).
Typically 50 mg would kill you, and that would hardly be visible if it were spread over the skin. (that's a drop roughly 5 mm across and a mm deep.)