Thread: EPOXY risks

Hello soundman,

thanks for your reply.

If there are different levels of epoxy-toxisity, how can I find out what level a certain product is? Is there an ingredient to look for, which defines that characteristic?

Can you recommend a low-level epoxy from your experience?

Thank you!

Fabian


(Thank you Michael for answering some of my questions, wrote this reply before I read yours)

look at the material and data sheets.

All suppliers of chemical in australia are required to supply them on demand.

Most of the modern marine epoxies arent too bad ( from what I understand).

The more modern the formulation the better it will be.

Boatcoat claim to be lower in toxisity than their main competitors.... and that is "West system" and "system 3". But that is a claim I can not confirm.

I can confirm that West System, produces far less fumes than other epoxies I have used or been arround in the past.

Some of the problem is the quantity in which we use these products....in boat building we mix relativly large amounts.

Those old favorite epoxies ( the ones in the tubes from the hardware) do not seem to smell much till you mix them in quantity.... then they smell plenty.

We realy should be reading material safety and data sheets.

In QLD the only WHS offence they can immediately fine you for without notice to rectify... is failing to have MSDS for every chemical on the premisis and accessable to all staff.

Most are available on line.

cheers

Originally Posted by PAR;904177
[FONT=Arial

A tip to newbies: if you have to pee, do so before mixing up epoxy, trust me you don't want to learn this tip, the same way I did. And no, it doesn't matter how "skilled" you are, the stuff will find a way. It's not particularly comfortable explaining these things, to a less then sympathetic emergency room nurse.

[/font]

brings a whole new meaning to the term encapsulation

[font=Arial]I've matured as a person and now prefer some roughage with my polymers Darce . . .

Paul a common lunch in these parts is the good old meat pie and tomato sauce, ketchup to you. I keep getting this vision of you covered in goo sitting down at the workbench surrounded by half used containers of epoxy eating a pie and pox.

Unfortunately, looking at the MSDS will not tell the average user what to look for. Nor is there any precursor which would suggest one person is more prone to an adverse reaction then another.

Some people will know, having struggled with reactions to common house hold chemicals and environmental issues in the past. Others, will just have to wait and see.

It's honestly not as bad as some may make it out to be. Yes, some people can become sensitized to epoxy, but it's a fairly small percentage of users. If reasonable precautions are made during use and storage, then much exposure can be reduced, limiting the possibility of sensitizing. This sensitizing is a cumulative reaction to build up of fairly heavy molecules of polymer. So if you work clean, your risks are low. Most that I know that are reactionary to the goo, admit being less more casual with it and taking baths in these types of chemical concoctions generally isn't wise. Some seem to react instantly. I know a fellow boat builder that will not come in my shop because of a particular brand I use. Admittedly, the brand I use is a proprietary mixture and less refined then the "big boys" products. It has a much stronger smell from the hardener (glycol groups) and he's sensitive to just this. In fact he can't put anti freeze in his car for the same reason, so it's not an epoxy issue, so much as it's his body chemistry not liking glycol.

You can get quite anal about procedures, but it's not truly necessary unless you plan on a life long adventure with the goo. Again it's a cumulative reaction, so you need to roll around in it for while before you'll know.

In short, if you have allergic reactions to things most don't seem to be bothered with, then take extra precautions. Particularly if things like ammonia can cause you issues, then be careful around epoxy. If you're like me and can gargle with ammonia, with little harm, then you'll get along fine with epoxy.

This doesn't mean treat it lightly, but it does mean that the MSDS is attempting to cover all possible legal action more then anything else. And if lab rats that were force fed epoxy pills for 6 months straight, developed cancer, it might be worth considering, but then again, maybe not as much as they want you to think, just so they don't get sued for not saying it's a nasty chemical.

There has been more then one occasion where I've had fresh goo on me (literally) and sat down to eat a sandwich.

There are varying opinions out there regarding epoxy and health issues. Everybody is different and approaches the OH&S aspect in a different way.

there are some interesting personal experiences on this site http://www.fram.nl/workshop/controll...fusion/cvi.htm

Look under health and select the link of quotes from people who have suffered epoxy sensitisation.

There was another discussion on this forum https://www.woodworkforums.com/f32/epoxy-protection-gloves-78619

and here

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...117#post800117

that discusses using epoxy and safety issues.

As I said before, it affects some people differently as do other chemicals. Down here in Tassie you hear stories from the old apple farmers who used to spray pretty toxic chemicals whilst sitting on the tractor having a durrie with no respirator etc. Some died of cancer at an early age and others are still kicking on. Given the fact that you don't find out until it is too late, don't take the chance.

fwiw

AD

Hi,

All very good points above, a preventive measure is always best i've known guys to work in full body suits with a breathing apparatus to get away from the fumes and hazards associated with epoxy.

Try this;
http://boatcraft.com.au/botecote.html

This epoxy is a low allergenic 2:1 formulation, a lot of guys who have reactions to other epoxies can use this. you can get it from duck flat wooden boats or nis boats in your neck of the woods