Fibreglass - omg it itches - plz help!

[the mk1 kid]

Hi,

I spend about 2 hours sanding fibreglass last night, and even after a good wash i itch like crazy! I can see some of the tiny strands on by skin, but there are so many of the little buggers i cant try and scrape/pull them all out.

Any hints, its doing my head in!

Ta

Tom

 

[sledge]

Soap and a lot of hot water. next time wear latex gloves and disposable overalls and tape the cuffs up with masking tape to stop it going up your arms. Hope you had a mask on, if its done that to your arms think about what it has done to your lungs.

 

[the mk1 kid]

Hi,

I didn't have a mask but i did do it outside and the dust remained mainly on the floor. It was only brushing it off and messing about with it that got it on my hands and forearms (i hope). I did look for a mask, though i still regaret doing it as i could have waited

Tom

 

[faster4_tec]

and the dust

dust by its very nature is light enough to be airborn, so yeah, IT IS in your lungs.

as for hands and that, latex gloves aren't man enough on their own. what i recomend (for most automotive jobs...) is.

Hands>talc>latex gloves>£1 stanley tough suede gloves from wilko's/market>overalls.

and when working with hazardous substances such as fibre, tape up th cuffs, either with duck tape (almost air tight!) or an elastic band.

as for dust masks, again, wilko's do basic disposable ones, 5x for £1.99 which is enough to keep fibre out of your lungs if your sanding by hand.
if your using a machine (and therefore finer particlaes produced) then you should maybe go for one of the disposabe ones with a valve on it, or a 'hazardous' one, (should have a BS number on it).

 

[the mk1 kid]

Crap, am i going to an early grave!?

Tom

 

[faster4_tec]

maybe, google fibre glass dust and hazard and see what comes up.

TBH its not a casogenic (cancer causing stuff), however it will/may aggrevate your lungs possibly causing them to bleed. this is just me speculating though

 

[the mk1 kid]

Hi,

Founb this which made me happy!

'Research has sought to establish whether or not exposure to fibreglass dust presents the same or similar hazards. Surveys of the health of thousands of people who had worked for many years in the fibreglass industry show the following:

No mesothelioma due to fibreglass. (Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused by asbestos).
No dust lung disease.
Exposure by inhalation to very high levels of fibreglass dust resulted in mild inflammation of the lungs. This inflammation receded when exposure ceased.
The difference between fibreglass and other mineral fibres lies in the durability (or biopersistance) of the fibre. Glass differs considerably in its chemical and physical characteristics:

It is a non-crystalline structure.
It is the crystalline structure of natural mineral products that damages the lung.
Glass breaks into shorter, but not thinner fragments. The dangerous fibrous products are the ones which keep their length but break into thinner particles.
Glass is eroded and dissolved in certain solutions, of which the fluid inside the lungs is an example.'

At least i dont smoke, so thats one thing i have got going for my lungs!

Tom

 

[Renegade_8]

Once won't hurt you. Peeps have different tolerances to fibreglass, when I work with it it itches a bit for an hour or so then I foget about it, this applies to carsa nd loft insulation. I've worked with asbestos clutches, brake linings and central heating flues while dodging the dinosuars and so far so good so the glass shold be fine, your lungs have a mechanism to clean themselves anyway.

 

[the mk1 kid]

Hi,

Cool, thanks.

What about the toxins?

I left the fibreglass in the garage and the smell is present in the 2nd floor!

The house is made from cardboard i swear, but still it is impressive!

Tom

 

[Renegade_8]

I first used resin and glass fibre sheet in 1961 on the fairing of a 600cc Norton, one of the mountings had pulled out and I rebuilt it. It hasnt killed me yet ( The driver of a Citroen Light 15 had a good go while I was on that bike though). Leave some windows open when you are home for a day or so.

 

[the mk1 kid]

Blimy you must be old! lol joke mate!

Yeah i am keeping it in the garage, and venting downstairs well.

I will get some pics up when its done, it wont be anything you guys can think of thats for sure!

Tom

 

[Renegade_8]

I'm prolly the oldest person on here! I guess I've been lucky! My father who was regular soldier (East Kents) was always cheerful, if you wern't slogging through freezing mud in full combat kit or under enemy fire things were pretty good as far as he was concerned. Smoking did for him when he was 69. Of course things are better now and its right to take sensible precautions, but life
is ultimatley fatal.

 

[Chas Uno]

I'm prolly the oldest person on here!

Nah, PNL's the oldest!

 

[Andy Monty]

As faster4_tec fetched up cheap dust masks i feel i must jump up and down and make my feelings towards the cheap 5x "dust mask" for £1 type of deals.

These masks are not dust masks in the strictest sence but Hygine / nuisance masks basicly to stop you spitting/ sneezing your guts up over the work piece and offer little if no protection against harmfull particulates and are in my opinion a complete waste of money and are usually fitted with one elastic strap and are shaped so you can't get them to seal on your face you might as well use a strip of cloth tied at the back....

for sanding fiberglass you want a minimum of a P2 mask....

the BS approval is not used now thanks to Europe..

the disposable mask itself should comply to "CE" EN149 with a sub code dependent on filtration Quality eg CE EN149 FFP2

FFP Filtering Face Piece
P1 4x OEL
p2 10XOEL
p3 20XOEL (this will protect the user against bacteria and low levels of Asbestos)

(OEL= Occupational Exposure Limmit)

more info here

http://www.esc.cam.ac.uk/ivhhn/guidelines/masks/masks.html

 

[randomizered]

I think those masks are rubbish as well.

Luckily I have a sister who works on industrial sites, so i have a stupid looking face mask with two filters that filter all gass types and dust.

They really work well, although a bit pricy. Its nice not to find black snot, blood and other gunk from your insides though.

I don't care if i look like a fool lol


Kristian

 

[arc]

working with exhaust wrap too, horrid stuff. making me itch thinking abuot it!

 

[the mk1 kid]

I had a long very hot bath last night and i feel much better today.

Thanks for the information guys!

Tom