What Do Resin And Fiberglass Do To Your Lungs?

[Kaya Tetsu]

Before you charge in here guns ablaze about safety, know that I am a "better safe than sorry" kind of gal. Now then, the reason I ask what happens is that I need help convincing the dad that I need a respirator to use the resin and fiberglass mat he bought me yesterday. He looked at the can and said he didn't think I needed one. Part of it is because my Walmart is that neither of the auto parts stores in town carry respirators and neither does our Walmart. I haven't checked Lowes or Home Depot yet,but I don't live n town so I gotta wait till grandma goes for groceries later.My dad said, he would ask his co-worker, who does auto repair/paint on the side, about it on Monday,but if I want to resin this weekend I gotta convince him now. He keeps telling me wearing it improperly is worse than not wearing it at all and that he doesn't think I need one. Of course, this thread has a dual purpose, it can also show others the consequences of neglecting their safety precautions.



So please enlighten me, and others, as to the effects so I can get my respirator and get some resin done while I'm off school friday. Speaking of school, I'm late. I'll check this when i get home.

 

[rundown]

loads of reasons to wear it, cancer, long follicles that fail to work, brain damage, nostril damage, you can also become deaf as wierd as it sounds, ...

 

[Tahu]

As Rundown said, I would concern Cancer as one of the big concerns, and brain damage.

 

[Dizzerak]

Is a colapsed lung worth the $30 or so for a respirator? Professionals use these items for a reason.

If you've seen any of the painting and auto shows on TV, they ALWAYS wear the mask when working with these chemicals. Some even wear the splash suits.

I hope it works out for you, I really do.



DIZZ

 

[Sean Bradley]

You and your Dad should both read this: The Complete Respirator and Safety Guide



Here's the Cliff Notes:

Polyester or 'Fiberglass' resin is a two part liquid plastic that is commonly sold for repair projects. A kit consists of a quantity of resin and a smaller quantity of catalyst or hardener. Adding the hardener to the resin in the manufacturers specified ratio (usually 1/10) will cause the liquid resin to cure to a very hard, yet brittle plastic. Using this resin in combination with fiberglass cloth yields a reinforced composite material that is strong, lightweight and rigid.



Polyester resin is a particularly dangerous material because of the fumes that it gives off in an unmixed state and during the curing process. Short-term effects of these fumes are dizziness, nausea and skin irritation. Long–term effects of overexposure can include nervous system (brain) damage, asphyxiation, and cancer related hazards.

Urethane resin is a low viscosity two part plastic that is frequently used for casting. The resin part of a urethane product is not very hazardous. This is because it is not actually a "urethane resin." Instead, it is any of several types of resins such as polyesters, polyethers, polyols, epoxies, and so on. These resins do not become "polyurethane" until they are reacted (cured, hardened, etc. ) with a diisocyanate. These diisocyanates are the problem.

Diisocyanate hardeners are capable of causing severe respiratory allergies and lung damage. Most notably, they cause a debilitating incurable occupational illness called "isocyanate asthma." Sudden respiratory spasms and anaphylactic shock on exposure to diisocyanates also has resulted in death among workers using urethanes. There have been cases in which deaths occurred suddenly and without warning in people with no prior history of allergies.

Respirators are much easier to find at Lowes or Home Depot. Start there. Here's some links:



Lowes Organic Vapor respirator: $29.87



Home Depot Organic Vapor respirator : $29.87



Any way you look at it, it's worth the investment. Dain Bramage is nothing to mess with.

 

[Loess]

If you've ever seen the commercials where lawyers are talking about exposure to asbestos, raw fiberglass cloth or mat can cause similar symptoms if you handle them a lot without proper safety gear. The reason that the resin can doesn't say you need a respirator is that the instructions are written for someone who's going to slap a patch on their boat some afternoon to fix a leak, then never use it again. You're going to spend a lot longer doing armor work, and that higher exposure requires good PPE.

 

[Kaya Tetsu]

Thanks guys. I'll show him that link Sean. I wasn't going to do it without a respirator, just had to convince him I needed one so he'd take me to get one. Still can't drive. waiting till I turn 18 to switch my license over to TN. That should be all the help I need. Thanks a bunch.

 

[yccars]

Dain bramage...i just saw that on tv last night, but I forget where! Enlighten me?