Paint Stripper Beware

[Zed Head]

3 hours ago, Namerow said:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/bodyshop/isocyanates.htm

In particular, check out the, 'Common body shop myths' section.

There is good information in that link.  Sensitization is a subtle thing that can't really be predicted.  I met a guy years ago who was part owner of a company that built high performance kit airplanes.  He'd been working with two part epoxies for years and one day he started a job and found that he couldn't work with them any more.  His body started acting up and he couldn't be around them at all.  He had to stay out of the shop when they were laying up the materials.  He still seemed kind of in shock just telling the story.

So you might think that since you've been exposed in the past and nothing happened that you'll be fine to keep dong what you've been doing.  But once your body changes it's "mind" you're done.

[SteveJ]

Isocyanates are very common for coating military aircraft. @Namerowis correct about having either a powered air purifying respirator or some other supplied air respirator, and you have to make sure the air is being drawn from an area where the paint vapors will not contaminate. I became quite familiar with this from trying to protect people's health in the Air Force. 

A couple of years back I was talking with a fellow club member, and I found out that he was in the Air Force and had been responsible for painting aircraft. He said how they didn't bother with the proper protection because it took too long. He also happened to mention that he became sensitized to isocyanates, so he can't be around them anymore.

Unfortunately it seems like a lot of material safety data sheets are written more to satisfy lawyers than to advise users. On the other hand, chemicals that cause respirator sensitization (and anaphylatic shock) will always cause me to be cautious.

[black gold man]

We were going north I75 coming out of downtown Detroit when no one in the car could get a breath. It was a big ditch some kind gas came down. I had to go fast as i could after about 1 mile we drove out of it. I bet someone didn't make it out. This was 1978.

[DatsunZGuy]

Time for me to invest in a blast cabinet.

That is...unless...ground up walnut shells will kill me 

 

[siteunseen]

Possibly, if you have nut allergies like my school teacher friends. 

Edited March 31, 2018 by siteunseen

[wheee!]

Unfortunately, 'two-pack' catalyzed paints fall into the same 'user beware' category.  You really need a forced-air mask (and a full paint suit) to be safe.  This website from the British government's Health an Safety bureau is worth a read for anyone planning a D-I-Y paint job at home...
http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/bodyshop/isocyanates.htm
In particular, check out the, 'Common body shop myths' section.

Hence my input and exhaust fans, full face mask and respirator system...

[charliekwin]

21 hours ago, Zed Head said:

A too-much-trust person seeing the name "Goof Off" isn't going to read the fine print that closely.  The family should sue for misleading name.  That's my cynical side, implying that the company was hiding the danger with a silly name.  If I was on the jury I'd probably vote for damages.

Beyond the name, if you look at the warning label on the container, it doesn't really look *that* much different than what's on something much more innocuous like acetone:

https://goofoffproducts.com/product/pro-stripper-1-gallon/

http://www.kleanstrip.com/uploads/documents/J8132_J8133_GAC18.pdf

The MSDS on the stripper makes it more clear that it's fairly nasty stuff,  but those aren't on store shelves and even then, how many "normal" people know what the NFPA or HMIS labels mean? Banning is no good (though if this stuff is available at, say, Lowe's, I think there's an argument to be made about keeping the worst stuff away from the general public) but designing some better industry-standard labeling might be a worthy step to take.