Re: From a One Time Build

Posted by George on Sep 3, 2004

Great thread! I noticed during my build that, even taking the precautions of goggles, longsleeve shirt with gloves over cuffs, and long pants, that I would manage to get a little epoxy on my skin, generally at the wrist, in spite of these precautions. I would develop a mild eczematoid reaction, in spite of washing the contact off immediately. This reaction never seemed to progress ie, increasing rash/sensitivity, flu-like symptoms, respiratory symptoms, anaphylaxis, and I question whether it was a true reaction or simply a localized contact dermatitis. The gist: don't know, don't care. I'm being as careful as I can, and am not sure how to get to "100%" in terms of avoiding contact. I have my reservations concerning protecting my eyes; I also question just how non-toxic inhaled fumes actually are. When I'm using epoxy in my building, I run a fan 'exhausting' the room I'm working in; more than that is beyond the engineered design of the building (and me).

I really enjoy building with epoxy, and would be 'displeased' if I found myself unable to participate in this new hobby.

Final note: one of the earlier posts talked about developing allergies, and noted 'either you are born with the ability to make antibodies to a certain chemical, or you're not'. Maybe; from my own experience, and what I've seen in others, there certainly is a broad range of responses, wiht some people seemingly sensitive to a broad range of substances, others seemingly to none; but with epoxy, I would suspect the incidence of sensitization is considerably higher than 1-2%, but consists primarily to a contact dermatitis. There also seems to be a wide variation as degree and speed of progression of sensitization.

Finally, it's my understanding that the mix ratio of resin/hardener is directly related to toxicity/ reactions; those with a 1:1 mix being less problematic than say 1:6.

In Response to: Re: From a One Time Build by Terry Mcadams on Sep 3, 2004

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