MEK Side effects - Page 3

rmartingt · #21 04-12-2016, 07:31 AM

I learned to respect MEK after my dad's nose started bleeding profusely at Thanksgiving dinner

He had spent a couple of days cleaning parts before paint and was using MEK without a respirator. We switched to naphtha after that.

I used MEK on my fuel tanks and in select other areas, but only with an organic vapor respirator, layers of gloves, and lots of fresh air and ventilation. It's nasty stuff. Mostly I use naphtha.

grubbat · #22 04-12-2016, 09:24 AM

We airplane builders dream of the day we are able to finish our projects and finally taste the sweetness of flying our creation. I remember back in the 80's when so many builders were stopped in their tracks by epoxy overexposure and subsequent intolerance. It's bad enough that many of us will face medical issues beyond our control that will sooner rather than later end our aviation hobby. An even more bitter pill is having medical issues that could have been prevented just by spending a little time and money on PPE. Several of my aircraft mechanic friends of my past are in the grave now and I believe ignoring safety measures when handling industrial aviation chemicals were contributing factors. Go The extra mile and take care of your self. I want you to enjoy your build. You will be glad you did.
Best wishes!

bret · #23 04-12-2016, 02:42 PM

How are you feeling Joe, I hope you did not have your hands in this stuff, your skin will be like a sponge directly to your blood stream, and go all around your body with it in direct contact with all the sensitive parts inside you. poor it on a nitrile glove and see what it does to it, bad stuff, Please take the suggestion above and get some blood work done. I hope you are feeling better. I picked a career that I thought would be fun turning wrenches but three decades and counting has started to take its toll on this body, these chemicals are great tools but PPE is critical! I got laughed at when I started wearing blue Nitrile gloves back in the 80s but I'm sure it has contributed to keeping my organs function thus far.......

olderthandirt · #24 04-12-2016, 06:36 PM

In old days we washed parts in Carbon Tetrachloride...up to our elbows...then I sprayed paint at Boeings with Cyoanocrylate...the people are put to death with in prison...now we worry about Lead in water...hmmm...I am 73 and **** glad to be alive...but when it comes it comes and I will be with my maker and happy......Dick

XOverZero · #25 04-12-2016, 06:48 PM

Interesting reading in this thread. My war story (x3), and hoping someone can benefit from it?

Decades ago I built surfboards, boats and other aquatic toystuff made with polyester fiberglass. Had not a clue about acetone, we nearly bathed in it. One day I came within a wink of passing out while painting the bilge of a boat with Zolatone, which is cut 50/50 with acetone. Ended up a week later with a case of pneumonia that almost killed me. I was 20. Like David-Aviator, I take meds every day now. Is there a direct connection? Who knows? Better question is, who?d want to find out? Often as not, the only way to know where ?The Line? is, is to cross it. Knowing there is one and failing to respect it?well, you don?t want to say been there, dumb that ? dumb with a capital Duh.

During Desert Shield/Storm, I was with a company that built all varieties of military radomes. Our most commonly used degreaser was 1,1,1 trichloroethane, also a lot of MEK. Both are now illegal in Cali but weren?t then. Standard practice was to use a vapor respirator and two pairs of latex gloves. More times than I can remember I peeled off the outer pair only to find that an inner glove was wet. I still double glove today. Rips and pinholes happen...plan for it. And get good ones. Cheapies that tear when you look at them wrong give you a false sense of security. When the enemy is shooting at you, would you rather take cover behind a bush, or a wall?

Naphtha has been discussed. Better but still requires protection. Ten years ago an acquaintance who made custom acoustic guitars for over 25 years came down with a mysterious and debilitating sickness that was akin to sepsis in its symptoms and seriousness. It rendered him so weak he couldn?t walk more than a dozen steps. He too, nearly died. It was finally proven to be a cumulative toxic buildup from his long-term continual exposure to naphtha. He recovered but no longer pursues luthiery.

To put it the simplest way, let?s just suit up, guys. We don?t know where the line is.

PCHunt · #26 04-12-2016, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olderthandirt

In old days we washed parts in Carbon Tetrachloride...up to our elbows...then I sprayed paint at Boeings with Cyoanocrylate...the people are put to death with in prison...now we worry about Lead in water...hmmm...I am 73 and **** glad to be alive...but when it comes it comes and I will be with my maker and happy......Dick

Cyoanocrylate is the ingredient in super glues. Did you mean to say Isocyanates? Isocyanates are in two-part epoxy and polyurethane paints.

bret · #27 04-13-2016, 08:43 AM

Might as well get it all out there just incase no one has heard of these things before, like above, the ISOs in paint are a potential killer, (sensitizer), I was doing some research on the auto painting Forums for my paint and one story I read about a guy painting his car in his garage with no protection, found dead on the floor. Everyone is different, some can bath in solvent, and the next person can have a one time allergic reaction and thats it.......

jetjok · #28 04-13-2016, 10:47 AM

***This thread needs to be moved to a more general forum, as it is applicable to more than just RV-12's!

[thread moved to "Safety"; S. Buchanan]

Many years ago, I too, used to use MEK as an "every day' cleaner to remove crusty deposits of 5606, grease, glue, etc. During a routine physical, I received some unfavorable results to some blood work. Many visits to a specialist ensued, including many tests and even a biopsy. What was discovered was that while there were some damage, it was not progressing as it would if there was a disease.
Later on, I was at a fabric covering seminar and the presenter lectured us about the adverse effects of exposure to MEK. I gathered data, and took it to my specialist (Dept. Chair at a major university hospital). He reviewed what I had presented, and did more research into what my symptoms were. He diagnosed that my condition was caused by long term exposure to MEK!
I still have to use it once in a while on my fabric work. But, I use a good respirator and "glove up" as best as possible.
Has anyone identified the best possible gloves for using MEK? I have called many glove manufacturers, paint and chemical dealers, and have never gotten a definitive answer.

sblack · #29 04-13-2016, 10:56 AM

I know the blue gloves I recently bought, and I'm sorry I don't recall the type, pucker up and dissolve when I use MEK. So you need to be careful. AFter reading this I am going out to buy another respirator for the hangar.

fl-mike · #30 04-13-2016, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetjok

Has anyone identified the best possible gloves for using MEK? I have called many glove manufacturers, paint and chemical dealers, and have never gotten a definitive answer.

I use Butyl for MEK and lacquer thinner, and Nitrile for Etch and Alodine (phosphoric acid and chromic acid) (and those are elbow length, plus an apron). For quick small jobs I'll grab the disposable Nitrile exam gloves with the knowledge that they will not last long.

There are some websites that will help you select based on the solvent you're using. Here is one:

http://www.aps.anl.gov/Safety_and_Tr...selection.html