I had a reaction to handling rolls once; it turned out their boxes had
been treated with silverfish repellent.  It literally took months for
my hands to recover from the reaction.  I never handle those rolls now
without gloves.

I have seen instruments where people used rodent poison in them and
other similar products.  That could be what you are responding to,
or possibly a mold spore.

Stephen K Goodman - Professional Player Piano & Nickelodeon Restoration
Tarpey Village (Fresno/Clovis) California, USA
http://www.mechanicalmusicrestoration.com/