Alu dust toxic?

[RudiGreyling]

Having done a lot of buffing and polishing on the bench grinder the past days I was amazed on the amount of alu dust that gets generated. I wear eye protection glasses, but no mouth covering.

I wondered if the Alu dust is toxic?

Comments..

[rv8ch]

There are those that feel that ingesting aluminium can contribute to the onset of Parkinson's disease. I usually put on my respirator if I'm doing a lot of work on the scotchbrite wheel.

[mlw450802]

Originally Posted by rv8ch

There are those that feel that ingesting aluminium can contribute to the onset of Parkinson's disease. I usually put on my respirator if I'm doing a lot of work on the scotchbrite wheel.

I've heard it was alzheimer's but then who can really remember?

-mike

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

It WAS Alzheimer's but that has since been disproven. Hey, just blow your nose in a hanky after some bench grinding and ask yourself , do I really want this in my lungs? It's like any other dusty impurity. It may not kill you, but it can't be helpful.

On the other hand, if you're a smoker, don't worry about it.

[robertahegy]

I thought it was Lou Gerigs disease. I'm not shur, Idonrembr!!!

???

[Rick6a]

Originally Posted by Bob Collins

It WAS Alzheimer's but that has since been disproven. Hey, just blow your nose in a hanky after some bench grinding and ask yourself , do I really want this in my lungs? It's like any other dusty impurity. It may not kill you, but it can't be helpful.

When younger and more impressionable, wife and I were given the hard sell at a Tupperware style house party and almost sold on a $1500 set of gourmet quality pots and pans. When the salesman smuggly proclaimed that lesser cookware made of common aluminum was not a healthy chioice because the metal was found in elevated quantities in the brain cells of Alzheimer's victims, I noted that since I and tens of thousands of production workers drilled and sanded and filed on aluminum all day everyday for McDonnell-Douglas and other aircraft manufacturers, by his reasoning you could suppose that after a few years of such concentrated exposure nobody would be able to find their way to work. The only day of the year you would ever see an unusually and obviously high absentee rate at our plant was opening day of deer season. We kept our old pots and pans until the handles fell off....at least that's the way I remember it....I think.


Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"

[Build9A]

About a year ago after blowing about a 1/4 ounce of alum dust out of my nostrils, I decided to 1) be more careful, 2) wear airway protection, 3) look up the hazards of alum inhalation. I did a google search and found some research on the subject that pretty much convinced me that it was not a carcenogenic and that some ill effects were found in workers after numerous and repeated exposure. Follow the OSHA link below for more info. Bottom line was that I probably didn't need to worry much about lung cancer from my exposure to alum, but needed to continue to wear airway protection. As stated in a previous post, it can't be good for your lungs even in the amounts that we ingest. Be careful. You can't fly if you can't breath! Jack

Here's the OSHA info link: http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/healthg...cognition.html

[N941WR]

it is with the dust from the deburring wheel. Who knows what's in those things what they will do to you.

[RudiGreyling]

Thanks guys...