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Chemical warnings - just a little reminder for all of us

22K views 32 replies 25 participants last post by  mman454 
#1 ·
My dad (SemperVaporo) watches a model train forum, and this link was posted... worth a read for all of us - those of us that use chemicals every day and have gotten lax, those of us that are new to it and haven't learned yet, and those of us that are brand new to the world of automotive chemicals and need to know what you risk...

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Forum: myLargescale.com
User: Hawkeye2
Date: 04 Mar 2010 08:55 PM

Subject: RE: Solvents are tools?


I taught Auto Mechanics for 17 years and safety was an importanf part of the curriculum. We delt with a lot of solvents and chemicals that could cause serious health problems if used casually and here is my advice: Use any solvent in a WELL ventelated area. READ the instructions and abide by them. If you are not familiar with the product or its application do not use it, give it to someone you don't like and go out and buy something else. Here is some required reading, don't skip it:

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

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#7 ·
The most important thing I've learned from spending time on fiberglass forums is about how to be safe using chemicals. I have my respirator that I wear when spraying virtually anything now.

Safety first, its so easy to be lazy but if you ever get unlucky the consequences could be very bad. I spent a while talking with Doug at the Toledo mini meet in January about incidents where people would be slack with safety regulations and then pay the price.

I still get a little nervous everytime I slide under a raised car, and I don't want to lose that perspective. Be aware that cars are large pieces of heavy machinery and they should be taken very seriously.
 
#9 ·
Working under the car is one of the things I just don't do. I almost attempted it once, but realizing the amount of work it would take to fix a brake line, while working under 2 tons of metals supported but a jack stand, which frankly seems puny to me, I just took it to a shop.

The only way I'd be comfortable working under a car is if I had a lift, or a service channel.
 
#22 ·
I have ramps for the front and thinking on getting another set and do all four at once.
lmao... I guess I'm the only one that got your joke Doug!

True story; I had a bottle of tire shine one time, that read "Fresh Vanilla scent!" on the front, on the rear it had a warning label that read "inhaling vapors can be fatal!"

On another related bit, we had a local high school completely evacuated a while back because a student broke an old mercury thermometer... I mean they had Hazmat teams come in full suit to clean it up........ lol, seriously, when I was a kid, I used to break those things on purpose just to play with the mercury! lol*twitch* had it in my hand*twitch* and everything! Didn't cause*twitch*me*twitch*any harm... Nothing*twitch*wrong with *twitch* *twitch*me!
 
#11 ·
Heh, I used some insect killer that I found in the basement of my rental house... old, but un-opened. I read the entire container, then used it according to the instructions...

I then went online and read about the stuff I just used...

Clordane (sp?)

It will be 20 years before I have ants along that one foundation wall! Gotta watch out what is used...
 
#12 ·
I am one that usually reads labels before I use something I've never used. I'm also the type to crack open the user manual of any electronic equipment before I mess around with it.
 
#14 ·
i use brake cleaner and other chemicals every single day. it is a neccesity to do my job. and while it can be harmful if used improperly i would never stop using it. just got to not be an idiot when using it
 
#15 ·
when i was working for the international transport business we had to take a course for dangerous goods ... some of the things i shipped overseas gave me ibby jibbies :( some of the most common house hold cleaners are the ones that are the most dangerous ..always read the dam lable lol
 
#16 ·
#17 · (Edited)
Heh, the Chlordane, after putting it out on the ground per the can directions, was bagged and placed on a top shelf in a room in the basement that the kids are deathly afraid of, and has its own lock on the room. THEN I read how bad it was, and was glad I had already bagged it that way.

Regarding chemicals and flame - not many people realise that antifreeze is explosive in the right conditions - preheated and attomized, it will explode if ignited properly.
 
#20 ·
Hey no problem.

For reference to anyone: If you wanna know anything about a chemical, ask Google! If you just want to know quickly what the hazards are in an easy to read format, just look for that chemical's MSDS....Material Safety Data Sheet!

I think this thread has serious merit....if it can help prevent the injury or loss of another forum member its definitely worth a sticky.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I think I agree - STUCK NOW.

MSDS sheets can actually be very informative - I've actually found out some cool stuff about the product in my hand by reading the MSDS... Granted, I'm the guy that reads car manuals for entertainment too - but I think anyone using a given chemical could find at least 1 thing useful in an MSDS.

The one thing that strikes me in the link you posted - if burned, Chlordane gives off phosgene gas - the problem gas in the original post!
 
#27 ·
This is a good discussion on any automotive-type forum: safety, especially where chemicals are concerned. Anybody that works on cars is subject to using any one of a number of chemicals, thinking only of the intended usage, and not of any health effects from improper usage. But, sometimes it takes a person with a really scary near-miss story or something to make us all wake up and take notice to what we're doing when we're using these products, especially when we can think of all the times we used these products in a not-so-safe way, and SEEMED to get away with it. It's always worth bearing in mind, though, that if we keep pushing the envelope, we're not getting AWAY with anything, we're just GETTING BY for a while, hopefully reading a story like this one and waking up before it's too late.
 
#30 ·
Obviously you would think acetone would be harmful, but I was surprised when the following happened to a co-worker several years ago: He worked in a mixed powder and solvent room - had to wear a "space suit" with special filters on it to filter out acetone fumes. Well, the suit vendor sold the company the wrong filters. So the guy leans over a vat of powder with acetone solvent and opens it to remove the mix. The way it was described to me was that the acetone literally dissolved his alveoli (the little air sacs in the lungs that do the oxygen exchange). The guy has been 100% disabled for life (to this day he can't walk across the room without oxygen - I guess the destruction wasn't 100% since he lived), and the supplier got hit with a successful couple million $$ lawsuit.

Moral of the story - acetone fumes are not just to be avoided for passing out/brain damage from long-term exposure, but if the vapors are concentrated enough can instantly destroy your lungs.
 
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