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Welders beware!! Read this......!!

Glad to hear it's getting better. I've had it before.
I don't know if I would use the treatment that you used though. Eyesight is a precious thing...
 
This still should be a sticky "maybe not here"
but IMO it should be in all the
restoration, racing hangout, pro-touring
or members project forums...

This is very important health issue

ever notice ? all old welders are sickly

I did my share of it for a living or supplemental income or my hobby
for a while too, I was certified combination welder/fitter,
mostly always safe, even if the environment wasn't...

Much of this stuff wasn't talked about 30+ years ago
I knew about it in the early 90's, I grew up with welders & fabricators/fitters
I was extremely careful after that,
your health isn't worth the project, for yourself or the employer...

My stepfather Bob is a life long Union Welder & Pipefitter
35+ years now Retired
he has so many health issues
I'm 100% sure most of them were from bad/unsafe
working environments, he was forced to endure, by his job...

Stay safe people
 
khryslerkid said:
I resemble that remark! :lol:

Yes, I thought it was going to be a sticky. Didn't happen.
Click to expand...
Yeah it wasn't meant to offend most welders :carrot:
well not "you" anyway :lol:

I thought it was a sticky, at one time {?}
maybe it got moved when the updates were done...

I don't really know...
 
khryslerkid said:
I resemble that remark! :lol:

Yes, I thought it was going to be a sticky. Didn't happen.
Click to expand...
I realized *after* I posted, that the thread is from 2015.
On the subject, I've been exposed to a wide variety of solvents through breathing & prolonged contact,,,,everything so far mentioned & more, the major part of my life....maybe be what started the bladder cancer. But I've never had any on the spot physical reactions, illnesses.
 
khryslerkid said:
A link about what's in brake cleaner/parts cleaner

https://envirofluid.com/info-library/case-studies/how-to/brake-cleaner-chlorinated
Click to expand...
That site looks like an advertisement? With any kind of a solvent, you need good ventilation and protective gloves AND eye wear. I was aware of a lot of hazards using chemicals etc but learned a whole lot more working in a refinery and yet there were still the old guard that would not use at least protective gloves when using something as simple as a cleaning vat no matter what chemical they were using. We had access to some really good (bad) stuff to clean things. There was one guy that complained about using Varsol. He had been using it to clean tools etc without protective gloves for years when his hands started turning red and burning and couldn't understand why....but it only happened when he used the Varsol vat....and no gloves. Sometimes your body can only take so much before it says enough but it's never a bad thing to wear the safety gear from the get go.
 
Bladecutter said:
I realized *after* I posted, that the thread is from 2015.
On the subject, I've been exposed to a wide variety of solvents through breathing & prolonged contact,,,,everything so far mentioned & more, the major part of my life....maybe be what started the bladder cancer. But I've never had any on the spot physical reactions, illnesses.
Click to expand...

I've been through the same Jimi. I even remember blowing off brake parts and drums back in the day. I wasn't aware of asbestos and the harm it can do. Welding, automotive paint, you name it. I guess I've been lucky so far.

Useing brake cleaner in the shop, then welding, I have experienced those symptoms first hand. We even had a contract one time that required welding these 1" bushings to another piece. The bushings had a very high lead content to them and everyone welding them was experiencing sore throats and headaches. Had to shut the job down until we got replacement parts.

I painted a large boat once with Imron anti barnacle paint, just from the water line down. I was useing a respirator but it wasn't enough. I liked to died from the after effects!

Mans his own worst enemy!
 
Cranky said:
That site looks like an advertisement? With any kind of a solvent, you need good ventilation and protective gloves AND eye wear. I was aware of a lot of hazards using chemicals etc but learned a whole lot more working in a refinery and yet there were still the old guard that would not use at least protective gloves when using something as simple as a cleaning vat no matter what chemical they were using. We had access to some really good (bad) stuff to clean things. There was one guy that complained about using Varsol. He had been using it to clean tools etc without protective gloves for years when his hands started turning red and burning and couldn't understand why....but it only happened when he used the Varsol vat....and no gloves. Sometimes your body can only take so much before it says enough but it's never a bad thing to wear the safety gear from the get go.
Click to expand...

My skin has always been very sensitive to cleaning chemicals. I guess it's a blessing in a way that I get an early warning. Just wiping off steel with an industrial soap, will have my face breaking out, just from the fumes coming off the surface. Same with the oil that's in welding smoke. Different cleaning agents, even gasoline, will penetrate my hands and make my joints hurt if I'm not wearing gloves. That's not good if your not realizing that it's taking place.

The link is an advertisement but it does name the chemicals in parts cleaner and their hazards.
 
Our skin is like a sponge. It is NOT a barrier that keeps stuff from soaking in. ---This is why nicotine patches work as a way to administer the drug.
 
I worked for a contractor that was tearing down a lead lined acid tank at the Deer Park Shell refinery. We used no kind of breathing protection at all. After the 1st day, I felt like crap and took off the next day then quit. Screw that crap. This was in 1978 when there was hardly any kind of safety rules.
 
khryslerkid said:
My skin has always been very sensitive to cleaning chemicals. I guess it's a blessing in a way that I get an early warning. Just wiping off steel with an industrial soap, will have my face breaking out, just from the fumes coming off the surface. Same with the oil that's in welding smoke. Different cleaning agents, even gasoline, will penetrate my hands and make my joints hurt if I'm not wearing gloves. That's not good if your not realizing that it's taking place.

The link is an advertisement but it does name the chemicals in parts cleaner and their hazards.
Click to expand...
My dad was the world's worse.....he'd use gasoline to clean parts with no gloves and with a cig hanging out of his mouth and then throw the lit butt into the gas to prove it wouldn't ignite. Man....all it takes is just the right environment and FLASH!
 
It is a sticky in the General Discussion Forum. The Article is from 2015 but I started this thread in 2016.
 
Ghostrider 67 said:
It is a sticky in the General Discussion Forum. The Article is from 2015 but I started this thread in 2016.
Click to expand...
I thought I stuck it back then but didn't see it....so, it's stuck now....and again?
 
Seems appropriate here....
upload_2018-2-10_20-7-25.png
 
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