So just how toxic is G-10 dust?

M

MJF

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Jan 10, 2009
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I started working on a pair of G-10 handles while I was in Iraq, thinking that I was probably already exposed to enough toxins that a little bit more wouldn't hurt me, but now that I'm back, I'm just wondering if I should get a respirator or something and just how toxic the dust really is?
 
Definitely want to get some protection for your lungs. It's not that it's so acutely toxic, but the very small debris created by working G10 can work its way deep into your lungs and damage the delicate tissues creating scarring over time. Think about the dust formed by G10 as little tiny shards of glass, and you wouldn't be too far off.

When working with natural, especially exotic handle materials, remember that many of them (if not all of them) are sensitizers and can cause severe allergic reactions among many other serious pulmonary conditions. And ANY material worked with powered equipment will create super fine particles that will get into your lungs. There was a recent post by Ed Caffrey who just had a pre-cancerous mass removed from his lungs which almost certainly resulted from breathing in various foreign debris throughout his career. You only get one set of lungs.

--nathan
 
The respirator is worthwhile. I'm not sure anyone can really tell you precisely how dangerous it is, as in how much exposure will cause serious problems. This stuff rarely works that way.

But the fact is you can always choose to poison yourself at a later date if you feel like it (hopefully not of course). If you poison yourself now, you won't have the option later. Some risks the world forces us to face, others we can control, to some extent at least. Makes sense to control what you can.
 
Justin King said:
The respirator is worthwhile. I'm not sure anyone can really tell you precisely how dangerous it is, as in how much exposure will cause serious problems. This stuff rarely works that way.

But the fact is you can always choose to poison yourself at a later date if you feel like it (hopefully not of course). If you poison yourself now, you won't have the option later. Some risks the world forces us to face, others we can control, to some extent at least. Makes sense to control what you can.
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qouted cuase thats some honest straight shooting right there Excellant post!:thumbup:
 
well lets see.......microscopic sub micron sized fine jagged particles, similar to asbestos...........entering your body..........



wear the face sealing respirator. Nuff said.......
 
Bushman5 said:
well lets see.......microscopic sub micron sized fine jagged particles, similar to asbestos...........entering your body..........



wear the face sealing respirator. Nuff said.......
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+1 :thumbup:

Just wear the respirator. You're lungs will thank you.
 
It's pretty much worthwhile to have a respirator on any time you are creating any dust when your working. Whether it's wood dust, metal dust, carbon fiber dust, or pixie dust :D
 
I used to build subwoofer enclosures out of MDF without wearing a mask while cutting and sanding. Up until about 2 years ago. No telling what kind of mess is in my lungs from breathing that fine dust. Fiberglass particles is even worse.
 
By the way, guys, beards ruin the seal on a respirator.

You can grease your (short) beard (seriously, petroleum jelly works if you don't like axle grease:D), shave it, or else the hairs are a really really coarse filter between teh nice mask and your skin that does squat to stop grinding dust.:eek:

Stay safe guys (and gals)!

BTW, how many of you have your dogs in the shop breathing the same dust you try to avoid with the mask???:thumbdn:
 
my personal thought on this is i dont believe the hype, i wear a simple dust mask. the logic behind this is based upon the fact that i have worked in some really crappy environments where fiberglass has been blasted and particalised into the air and mixed with water, i do wear a 1/2 mask, or a dust mask in these environments, but if im just popping in and out of an abs tank, i often times do not worry about it, i highly doubt g-10 is any where near as nasty as asbestos, and i was not killed by phosgene gas while using super forge the other day. i wouldnt huff the stuff but i think a fiberglass dust mask is sufficient.
 
Well, they're your lungs. Popping in and out of an area is much different from spending hours in a shop filled with super fines over years of work. The pulmonologists who supposedly make up the "hype" as you call it must be making money from the repirator makers....

--nathan
 
kingjoey5000 said:
my personal thought on this is i dont believe the hype, i wear a simple dust mask. the logic behind this is based upon the fact that i have worked in some really crappy environments where fiberglass has been blasted and particalised into the air and mixed with water, i do wear a 1/2 mask, or a dust mask in these environments, but if im just popping in and out of an abs tank, i often times do not worry about it, i highly doubt g-10 is any where near as nasty as asbestos, and i was not killed by phosgene gas while using super forge the other day. i wouldnt huff the stuff but i think a fiberglass dust mask is sufficient.
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Like anything else the results may or may not show up for years. It's like anything else that's bad for you. A person might not see any effects from it for 20+ years or even at all. We've all heard about people who have smoked 1-2 packs/day of cigarettes for 60 years and seem fine. And others contract something from it after a much shorter time. It's a known fact cigarettes are bad for you, will they kill your right away? Not likely, but the odds are if you're a heavy smoker it will likely catch up to you.

Like Nathan said, it's you life do what you want. But in all reality, wearing a respirator while your working certain can't actually be worse for someone to wear as opposed to not.
 
CDH said:
By the way, guys, beards ruin the seal on a respirator.

You can grease your (short) beard (seriously, petroleum jelly works if you don't like axle grease:D), shave it, or else the hairs are a really really coarse filter between teh nice mask and your skin that does squat to stop grinding dust.:eek:
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Resp-O-Rator
 
Let me just say,you don't want pulmonary issues...they go downhill very fast I promise...protect yourself.....................

Cheers, Shane
 
CDH said:
BTW, how many of you have your dogs in the shop breathing the same dust you try to avoid with the mask???:thumbdn:
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I worry about that too, but don't forget that their lungs only need to last about a decade. Other systems usually fail first. It's still better to make them wait outside. Maybe I'll build a waiting room (mudroom) when I get my next dog... my cat only comes in to do a quick inspection for mice.
 
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