[Healeys] Shop safety (was Breaking rusted bolts)

[Bob Spidell]

I once worked as a lab tech handling dangerous ag chemicals in small and large quantities.  One compound--Phosdrin--had an LD50 of 10; IOW it's 
extremely toxic (a couple drops on your skin and you'd be dead in a half-hour without treatment; i.e. atropine).  Another I worked with 
frequently--Nemagon--barely registered an LD50; however it smelled vicious and I usually was pretty careful with it.  A couple years later we found 
out Nemagon exposure could cause sterility; my 19-year-old son is testament that I didn't get exposed TOO bad ;)

Don't disregard flammability, either.  One of my colleagues looked a bit like a Frankenstein monster; he'd poured a flammable down the drain which 
exploded and burned him severely.


bs



WILLIAM B LAWRENCE wrote:
> The amounts of chemicals we use in the hobby are not really comparable 
> to those used in industry and as such the exposures are not usually as 
> severe, however to avoid dangerous exposures to chemical products you 
> can get Material Data Safety Sheets from the supplier. These will help 
> you to understand the dangers of the products you are using and the 
> precautions you should be taking to protect yourself.
> 
> Acetone was one of the main solvents used in lacquer paints and as such 
> lots of people were exposed to it for years and I haven't heard of any 
> cancer epidemics related to it. On the other hand there are other 
> dangers which may not be related to its cancer risk. Many solvents are 
> an inhalation danger and my attack specific organs or cause damage to 
> the nervous system.
> 
> These aren't reasons not to use the products, but only to know the 
> dangers and to take responsible steps to avoid them.
> 
> Bill Lawrence