Ron,
Sorry to hear about that. I hope you can finish up and still enjoy at least
part of the process.
I once got a rash from some carbon I was cutting, but it disappeared and
never came back. Now I'm more careful with the dust. I think you're on the
right track--once you kind of fill your personal resistance reservoir, it
overflows quickly. In 10 years and with at least 50 customers and employees
exposed, I've only seen one other reaction that I'm sure of; there's
annecdotal evidence of a few more, similar to yours.
As Gary pointed out, it could be to the fiberglass or to the resin. Farm
out the rest if you can. A lot of aircraft paint shops are pretty good with
fiberglass finishing.
Good Luck,
Dave Saylor
AirCrafters LLC
140 Aviation Way
Watsonville, CA
831-722-9141
831-750-0284 CL
www.AirCraftersLLC.com
_____
From: owner-rv10-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-rv10-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of McGANN, Ron
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 4:47 PM
To: rv10-list@matronics.com
Subject: Fiberglass hazard
Folks,
Feel compelled to write something to warn others of the hazards of
fiberglass. Bit of background, I am early 50's healthy as a Malley Bull
(sorry that's an Ozzie term) and apart from the occasional sniffle, have
never been crook. The only real fibergalss work I have ever done is on the
-10. I have always used a dust mask when sanding the glass parts, but did
not worry about eye protection 'cause I was wearing specs for up close work.
Over the past 6 months, I have been heavily involved in finishing the glass
(cabin top, wing tips, fairing etc). The first four months were issue free.
Symptoms of dust exposure began with clogged sinuses about two months ago
(easily fixed by using a mask and keeping the shop vacuumed). In recent
weeks I have noticed some irritation around the eyes after sanding the
glass. This irritation has now blown into a significant allergy in my eyes
- not a good thing for a pilot! Spent some time doing some final sanding
for paint on Friday, had very sore eyes (lids) on Saturday and woke on
Sunday to find my eyelids swollen such that I could barely open my eyes.
Fibergalss dust is nasty s&*t. Almost all will use a mask. I did not use
full coverage goggles because of my eye glasses - get a pair of goggles that
cover your specs (if you need them) to keep the dust out! I had heard (but
did not believe) that the body's resistance to toxins erodes gradually. You
think you are suffering no ill effects until - bang!, your resistance is
gone, and this stuff really makes you crook. I now BELIEVE!!
Treat this crap like asbestos; wear a mask, wear protective goggles, make
sure you get the dust off your clothes, keep the shop vacuumed. And do this
10 fold when dealing with paint and paint dust (especially epoxies and
isocyanates). Many will say this is obvious, but a personal anecdote may
hopefully prevent someone else from future health issues.
Cheers,
Ron
187 paint prep.
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