OK, we have this pop up about once a month.
Metal Fume Fever is the condition you get from breathing zinc oxide fumes by burning/welding on/heating galvanized metal. It is a flu like feeling. Red itchy eyes, nausea, runny nose, etc. It is not fatal. Drinking milk, and getting fresh air and a good nights sleep are the treatment.
Zinc Poisoning is an entirely different condition, and is of concern with animals ( especially birds) but rare in humans.It is caused by absorption of zinc through food and skin contact. In its most severe case, it causes liver and kidney failure.
Zinc Oxide is a stable compound of zinc, and is not absorbable through the skin......or all the life guards would be dead. Like any fine dust ( and smoke), breathing zinc oxide should be avoided.
Heavy Metals is a poorly and improperly used term ( and not actually a medical term), that refers to any metal that is....well...heavy. Problem is that all the "heavy Metals" are not heavy....and all are not toxic ( the medical term is Toxic Metals). Some heavy metals are required for health. Zinc is one of these, Iron is another. Others ,like lead, mercury, cadmium, and many of the radioactive metals, are toxic, and can lead to death. The ones that are of a worry are the ones stored in the blood and tissues that slowly disable the ability of your blood and nerves to work properly. Zinc is not one of these.
Paw Paw died of severe pneumonia caused by working in a closed shop for hours with heavy smoke. The presence of the zinc fumes surely did him no good, but it is misleading/wrong to say he died of zinc poisoning. His death was sad, but it probably was avoidable.
We all need to avoid exposure to dust and smoke, but working safely and intelligently is the best way to do that....not fear mongering.
Wear filtration - a good P100 cartridge filter mask or hood will avoid 99% of all metal/wood working problems.
Have good fresh air flow in and out of the shop.
Vent exhaust gasses. Even better run forges outside when possible.
Remove dust at the source -vacuum systems or other dust collection is almost a must for safe shop work. At the very least, vacuum up the work area after ( and during) dirty work.
If feeling woozy, take a break.
If feeling sick ,knock off for the night. Tell someone you don't feel well and were working in the shop.
If ill, see a doctor! Tell him what you do for a hobby, and what metals and woods you have been using. (BTW, a doctor can confuse things, like metal fume fever/heavy metal poisoning, too.)
TrKaylor,
If you use the forge ,note which way the wind is blowing. Build a fire in it and run it for a good while with a medium air flow ( just enough to keep the coals hot, but not enough to burn up the forge) and stay down wind. Let it die down and cool off, and wire brush the metal and racks. That should take care of the zinc. When using the forge, it is always wise to stay down-wind anyway. One suggestion is to replace the PVC with some iron pipe.....and it can be galvanized.
Stacy
