respiratory problems using g10 and such

marekz

marekz

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
1,699
has anyone ever had any respitory problems from using micarta,g10 or grinding without a mask or respirator? my resp problems started around the time i used a cut off saw to cut through some thick g10-i know i was stupid for not wearing a mask. i dont know if there is a correlation or not but i have some scarring in my lungs and 3 masses which could be calcifications from scaring. anyway tuesday im going for a contrast ct scan. i got my fingers crossed. any info would help. thanks mark. by the way i also have some severe congestion in which i take breathing treatment for now. thanks again
 
Dude,

Take care of yourself! We want you around for a while yet.:)

As far as I am concerned ALL dust is dangerous. Different stuff is just different degrees of danger. I neglected using a mask a few time starting out...it seemed a little like the flu. Don't want to think about the long term effects if the short term is that nasty.

Wear that protection everyone.

Or at least hold your breath while you work;)

-Todd
 
One of the main reasons why I retired from knifemaking. The dust is airborn for days. And most is terrible for you, specially the carbide stuff coming of the belts. I had to have a chest scan prior to spinal surgery 8 months ago and they found I had some nodules. Just had another ct scan and nothing has changed so the doc said no need to worry. Will do another in 6 months to a year.
Best of Luck

Shike
 
marekz said:
thanks Fod. have you used any of the blades i sent? mark
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Finally getting around to it. Problem is, I make something cool, then sell it. Customers get first pick.:)
 
Heck yes! :eek: I tell myself it's just one cut - or I'm just gonna sand down one side of this block to see what's inside.

It fells like flu (respiratory) and lasts a few weeks but goes away. A couple years later, I'm dumb enough to do it again. :rolleyes:

I'll never be stupid enough to do tat again. :o Ya right!

Rob!
 
A while back, I had some troubles after building a few micarta handles. I was wearing a respirator but it was particulate only. It caught the dust fine, but the fumes came on through. Turns out that if you can smell it, it's still no bueno. I came down with a nasty case of bronchitis that lasted for near a month or more. I was coughing bad enough that I would throw up at times. It even came to the point that I developed laryngeal spasms from coughing. Don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of experiencing those, but the short of it is that your upper airway goes into spasm and basically collapses. As long as it stays in spasm, you can't breath. At all. The first time it happened, I had just got up in the morning. I start coughing and all of the sudden, at the end of a cough when I had no more air in my lungs, my airway closed off. I couldn't breath in at all, no matter how hard I tried. I knew I was in deep sheesh if I couldn't get a breath, so I forced myself to relax. A few seconds later, I was able to squeak in a breath that sounded exactly like what happens after you get your breath knocked out of your lungs. The spasm only lasted around 10 seconds, but I'll tell you it felt like 10 minutes. Scary stuff. I had those spasms for around 2 weeks several times each day. Not fun at all.

I don't know that the bronchitis developed as a result of the micarta fumes, but I know that it didn't help. I did have chest x-rays and they were clear. After that kind of scare, needless to say I invested in a better respirator with multi-gas/vapor/particulate/formaldehyde filters. All the fellas here who know what they're talking about have always stressed the importance of respiratory protection, and I thought I had protected myself, but now I know better. Take care of those lungs. You kinda need 'em.

--nathan
 
thanks yall--to top things off im a smoker, so i have to quit smoking now ( my wife will kill me if i dont and ofcourse i dont want my 2 year old picking up the habit from me ) anywho any more feedback wuld be great--thanks mark
 
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First thing to do is quit smoking today!!!.
Second thing is to get a good respirator and use it every time.

With a two year old ,you need to remember that the dust on you ( and dust that drifts into the house from a garage shop) is bad for your child,too. Blow off all your cloths with an air hose (outside,of course) before coming in from the shop. Adding a good size exhaust fan to the shop is a very good thing ,also.

Micarta gives off formaldehyde gas and fine particles.
G-10 gives off bad vapors ,plus fine glass powder.
Both are very bad to breathe.
Stacy
 
My .02 on it:

- round bastard is yer best friend. As in hand file. This is what you need to use to remove as much of micarta, G10, wood, etc, as possible. It removes it uber fast, accurately and most importantly, in giant "chunks" that safely fall to the floor and do not go airborne.

- get a squirt bottle, fill it with water and periodically spray the handles as you work on them (assuming handles are waterproof, as most of the stuff these days is). After a hand file, I normally go to shop rolls in 80 and 200-something grits and then to finer SC paper _UNDER A RUNNING WATER_ . All that's left after that is 20 secs at the buffing wheel

- on a good rainy day (Fay any1? :), open the shop's (garage's for many of us) door and using an air compressor, blow as much dust as possible, out. Start in the innermost part and progress toward the door. Direct the air at everything - walls, ceiling, shelves, floor, machinery etc . Do it 2-3 times a year . The rain outside will safely bring it down as soon as it leaves the shop and wash it away.

+1 on masks etc
 
marekz said:
thanks yall--to top things off im a smoker, so i have to quit smoking now ( my wife will kill me if i dont and ofcourse i dont want my 2 year old picking up the habit from me )and that means i have to stop drinking beer. cause when i drink i love to smoke. anywho any more feedback wuld be great--thanks mark
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Mark talk to your doctor about getting an Rx of Chantix. It works pretty good if you let it. There is nothing out there that will totally take the desire away, but the Chantix does better than anything else out there. It is expensive though, about 110 to 130 dollars. Ask your doctor for a coupon along with the Rx, they have them for 30 dollars off the cost of the med. With cigs about 4 or 5 dollars a pack and if you only smoke 1 pack a day the Rx is still cheaper than smoking. The best results for long term quitting is staying on the Chantix for at least 6 months. If your doctor won't give you a coupon or does not have any drop me a line and I will send you some. The rep. here usually gives me 5 or 6 a month to give my patients so I would not mind at all sending you a couple if it will help you to quit. Best of luck to you.
 
The problem isn't as much what the dust is made of, but that's it's very fine dust, period. Sure, phenols, woods, etc aren't good to inhale in and of themselves, but inhaling any dust is a particularly bad problem because of the particle size. The particles lodge in your lungs and scar formation is the result.

I would be VERY surprised if your current problems have anything to do with your one time of cutting G-1o without a respirator.
 
well when i first started on my little 1" delta i did a crap load of wood handles without a respirator and also some micarta. the dust wasnt too bad--so i thaught. i didnt start actually grinding steel till about 3 months ago- practicing with lowes cheap crappy steel. mark
 
Chiro75 said:
The problem isn't as much what the dust is made of, but that's it's very fine dust, period. Sure, phenols, woods, etc aren't good to inhale in and of themselves, but inhaling any dust is a particularly bad problem because of the particle size. The particles lodge in your lungs and scar formation is the result.

I would be VERY surprised if your current problems have anything to do with your one time of cutting G-1o without a respirator.
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Great post! But I disagree, to a point, on this:

The problem isn't as much what the dust is made of,
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That said,
but that's it's very fine dust, period.
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Yes, makes a BIG difference.

I am VERY new to knifemaking, and have never worked with micarta. But, I do work in the chemical manufacturing industry and have a pretty good working knowledge in reguards to what different contaminents can do to your lungs. Some things take only a VERY small ammount to cause big problems. Others, a body can take care of in much larger quantities. It is a good idea to not breath anything foreign to the body to begin with. Big difference between particulate filters and purifying cartridges. There are quite a variety that do both.
Quitting smoking is a no brainer, smokers take no offense, as a smoker myself I do know this first hand. Heavy drinking can also be bad for the lungs.

A little about myself. I bought a 4X36 (don't yell at me) belt sander and some blade tool steel with my tax returns. Hooked the sander to a shop vac, and thought I was OK without a mask. I did watch for metal dust where I was working. Tried to get the knack for a few weeks, and ended up with the worst case of conjestion I have ever had. Was so bad, I avoided going out in public, to go into detail would probably be TMI. I'm sure you can get the idea. Coincidence, or not, I don't know. Lasted about 2 months! Doc said no pnumonia, and after meds and time I did get better. Took the time away to read MSDS's (no symptoms of heavy metal poisoning, thankfully), among other things about knifemaking. I am ready to give it another go, but will be much more careful now.

Just my 2 cents.

marekz, hope all is well.

Matt
 
well the ct scan report came back on my lungs - i have a few nodules in which the doc assures me it wont be a big deal. i also have 3 areas of " ground glass opacity" which i think means its fuzzy and cant be looked through. I also have some scaring in my left lower long ( lingula? ) area and they stated i have pnuemonia or resolving pnuemonia. They also seen a 2mm calicfy stone in my kidney ( cant wait till that comes down ). I think all will be well. i guess i could go back to grinding micarta and g10 without a respirator!
take care and dont forget your masks/respirators all you new persons---thanks mark
 
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