Health effects of Epoxy

No need to do any tests ! My friends are ALL very allergic ro resin or any kind of fiberglass work, even though they have never been exposed to it.
When they do get exposed, then immediately their teeth drop out ,swollen nipples, itchy knob, hair loss, descending testicles

Seriously, just me talking about fiberglass and they start scratching already. There must be something wrong with me but I don't even itch working the stuff. Must be in the head. Too dumb to itch

 

Please listen to Herman because he is a professional in this.
If you didnt figure it out he is a top seller in this category. And then also he does have very good knowledge about this.

Hermans words is the one i trust most of them all!
Cheers!!

 

For the majority, the ones that develop sensitivity over long term exposure the symptom that shows is dermatitis. Mostly on the hands and is extremely itchy and you lose lots of layers of skin.
The ones in the middle (few exposures) will get a severe rash all over their bodies and does not have to be through skin contact. The fumes will effect and get absorbed through mucus membranes. Eyes, nose, throat, lungs.
The very unlucky not sure but so sick they need hospital treatment.

The alternatives to epoxy, VE & PE resins are also no good for you. And provided you have lots of flow through ventilation to get rid of the styrene fumes the health effects are less severe.

 

I gather then that most symptoms are actually skin related,--no internal effects, vertigo, loss of appetite, etc.

Is nausea one of them? the reason I asked is --well ive not been feeling well lately and I thought I might have had a bit of food poisoning but then I have been doing some epoxy work but only a little bit like sticking some ribs in my dinghy to attach some oar locks, and I work outside.

So teeth falling out, swollen nipples , hair loss and descending testicles would be normal ageing then?

 

soak yourself in olive oil before use

 

i used west for 25 years, ok, then i used Dieci 10.10 an italian aggresive epoxy, just like the italians
then i got sensitised

 

The acidic oils are a good tip. If I clean with vinegar, then clean some more, but still itch, I put coconut oil on and it stops the itching, neutralizing the hardener, which is the bad part.

 

well it looks like its not rocket science just limit your exposure and take proper precautions

so i guess being a nudist boat builder is out of the question

thanks for all the imput

cheerss

nick

 

You won't find it "a'peeling"!

 

For some one like me that can eat nuts and bolt I find it strange that someone can be affected by even being near something. Cats for instance. Sea food (my favourite) can not be tolerated by some.

There seems to be no limit to the allergies some people can be affected by.

To eat something as seafood and be thrown into vomiting fits is unbelievable to a bomb proof person as myself and I have to take hold and not say things like "pull yourself together man --its only a shrimp"

Epoxy ? well I don't get it, infact my lap top has got a bit on it as I type.

Allergic to work perhaps --the psychological horror of getting up at 7 and scraping ice off the windscreen on a cold rainy dark January morning --now mix that thought with the smell of epoxy and boy I would come up in shivers just by the smell of it.

 

For people that are not affected indeed it can be quite astonishing. Allergic reactions can do strange things to people.

I once had a dog that got killed by a single sting of a wasp. Normal reaction is a bit of pain, which decreases in the next 5 minutes. Not with the dog, that suffered severe internal bleeding from just the sting.
I know of a customer that is allergic to latex in such an extent that his skin starts bleeding as soon as he puts a latex glove on. Without even opening a can of epoxy or polyester... He was extremely happy when I gave him nitril gloves. I also now understand why he has 20 children...

As for polyesters: There actually have been more research on the effects of polyesters (mainly on styrene, which is what evaporates from polyester, usually some 5-9 percent by weight.) Although results of research programs is not completely clear, and some results are contradicting each other, styrene still is a product that cannot be totally cleared from causing cancer. It might only affect some people that somehow are more prone to this, but still, protection is your best option.

Personally I lose my smell when working with polyester. It takes at least 2 weeks before getting it back.

What can be done by the users:
-protect yourself. I have already told how, and every well thinking person already knew anyhow.

What can be done by employers:
-protect your workers. Educate them in using personal protection, and make it available. Ask your supplier to do a presentation on personal protection. I still have to come across a supplier that is NOT willing to do this.
-invest in the working space. Get good ventilation, install styrene suppresant spray units (a spray that bonds to styrene, making it harmless), invest in low styrene emitting materials (DCPD resins, LSE additives, AAP peroxides instead of MEKP), equipment (HVLP guns) or change to lower styrene emitting techniques (RTM, RTM Light, resin infusion).

What can be done by the industry:
The industry is not doing nothing. In contrary. Styrene content in polyester resins has gone down a lot the last decade. There are even some zero-styrene resins in the market (though at a cost).
Epoxy producers are slowly abandoning some harmful ingredients, like nonylphenol. Ask your supplier. I must admit that epoxy producers mostly produce for "non contact" processes in various industries. Therefore the pressure to do more for users is less, unfortunately. Still I have seen a lot of development on skipping many toxic materials, even if this meant that some very interesting curing agents got lost. (remember the good old days when DPTA curing agent, sometimes retarded by for instance Jeffamine D-230, gave a very low viscous mixture, which cured to a high Tg without postcure. DPTA is gone now...)

You might say that none of the suggestions I made is making a big difference. So true. But every step helps, and implementing as much suggestions as possible WILL make a difference.

----
Then there is the matter of bio-materials. Although it is still early in development, there are many materials being developed which look promising. I will just mention 2:

-Acrylic One
An acrylic resin, mixed with a modified gypsum, which cures to a hard but non brittle material. Although not suitable for boats, it is used in many other fields, like the building industry, art, tooling, and many more.
It is flame retardant, safe to use (even without protection), zero shrinkage, and can be made in various colours or surface effects, even bronze or (corroded) steel.

-Combiolite resin
A non hazardous resin which cures at 80 degrees C. There is shrinkage, and a small amount of water must evaporate. So far there is no gelcoat available, which makes it harder to use for visual applications, but many othere parts can be done in this material. It is available in hand laminating resin, infusion resin and prepreg (with flax)

And for fibers: flax looks promising, and many weavers are developing styles that can be used in manual processes.

Also keep in mind that environmental permits are not needed for storing or using these materials, which can save some headaches...

 

Hmmm very interesting, what looked like the material of the future is already in the past.

Its all very well making material that is harmless but if it does'nt do the job, or even as well then its not a step forward.

Changing the entire boat yard at great expense so Joe can keep his job is hardly a step in the right direction either.

 

I do not agree.

First of all, changing the boat yard? I know that you are in Thailand, and employees are throw away people, but even there providing adequate ventilation, buying LSE resins (which are not more expensive) and providing the safety equipment that you can find in the material safety datasheets is the least you can (and should) do.

About new materials: When the first polyesters were made, they probably were not as good as today, or even as good as other materials. But you need to start somewhere. If no-one started something new, we would all be swinging in trees, eating bananas.

Materials, new or old, have a certain set of properties, including mechanical but also environmental and health properties. It is up to the end user to decide on which properties are most important for him.

 

http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/hlthef/epichlor.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQXVHITd1N4

 

Thank you -- i'le move on now.