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
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
Healeys@autox.team.net
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/healeys
http://www.team.net/archive
|