Is this true? I was told this could happen to someone who sands when their airways are unprotected. I was sanding some LEDs to get them to fit in the headlight holes of a loco and was told I shouldn’t do with out a respirator. What are your thoughts? Of course I don’t sand anything on a daily basis for hours on end.
Thanks in advance.
Sanding dust from just about anything is bad for you if you stick your nose in there and snarf it up.[:D] CA fumes are the worst thing for you. I usually keep a little fan blowing across the workbench when I’m working with that stuff, I don’t THINK that plastic dust is that bad for you,fumes from burning it are. Wood dust can be hazardous. If your’e working with lead figures be sure to wash your hands after and don’t put your fingers in your mouth,nose and eyes while working with it. If your using a Dremel to sand plastic I’d wear a dust mask at least. BILL
Your lungs and airways are meant to be “self-cleaning” to an extent, but persistent exposure to some particulates will cause problems over time. This includes spores, dust from just about anything, microbes, and aerosols. If they are toxic, they’ll damage not only lung tissue but the liver and kidneys and your immune system and could cause cancer. As is often the case, inert matter is fairly innocuous, except if it causes cysts and scarification. Often the problem is that the body breaks weaker bonds in molecules and leaves more dangerous substances to do the damage. I don’t know if this applies to styrene or any other plastic that you would want to abrade, but I would worry about the formation of scarring and emphysema over time.
Again, we’re talking about repeated and extensive exposure when we talk about these problems. And it always depends too upon the nature of what is inhaled and how the body can cope with it. As suggested above, it is cheap insurance to wear a mask, do it in a cross wind outdoors, or use a fume hood.
-Crandell
WARNING - NEW STUDY FINDS BREATHING IS HAZARD TO HEATH.
Conclusive study finds all people who breath eventually die.
Seriously now, I know common sense has been banned by the powers to be, but if working on models was that dangerous I would surely be dead after 40 years of cut up plastic model trains to kit bash them, sanding, painting with solvent based paints, glueing, soldering, etc.
Not to mention my some of my professional life has been restoring old houses, stripping lead based paint, removing asbestos floor tile, etc, etc. Common sense and moderation of exposure will surely allow you to build models and live a long heathy life - but you will have to give up smoking and drinking.
Painting should be done in a spray booth and glues used in a well ventilated area. Sanding, filing and the like should be done in a fashion where dust is minimised and cleaned up afterward.
Sheldon
For the amount of dust generated from sanding a few LED’s I would say at worst not enough to hurt your dog and his nose is a lot more sensative then yours. You probably breath worse stuff walking down a city street.
However when you paint you should always spray in a booth even if you cobbled something together from stuff you have laying around the house is better then not having anything. Plus ALWAYS and I can’t stress this enough ALWAYS wear a resperator. Not some cheapy thing either invest in a good one. I personally use A/O American Optical two stage resperator. The stuff they put in solvent based paints is real nasty stuff even in small quantities and the damage it can cause is very serious. Also a must when using any type of spray glue.
Exposure to dust and fumes generated by the working of plastics, resins, etc. should not be treated too lightly. A little bit here and there can add up over a lifetime, and when the hazardous materials encountered in the workplace are factored in, we face many risks in everyday life, so no need to carelessly add to them.
Some hard woods are also carcinogenic or otherwise toxic, not to mention man made materials that incorporate glues in their manufacture, such as MDF, plywood, etc.
Better safe than sorry.
If you’re using power tools to sand, then yes and do it outdoors or use a vacuum with fine mesh bag and attached to the tool. Otherwise, I don’t bother.
Enjoy
Paul
I usually sand on something maybe twice a month. It is true that breathing will eventually cause death. I learned the hard way about using some plastic adhesives. I was using a Testors product that comes in a glass bottle. The fumes are so strong that it will make anything pass out within a one mile radius[(-D]
But seriously, thanks for the tips.
I’ve been doing it for years, and I haven’t noticed any adverse adverse adverse adverse effects!
I’ve been sanding plastic in the form of model building for about 32 years or so. No adverse effects noted from plastic. I’ve had five friends killed by drunk drivers. Adverse effects noted from alcohol use.
When the sky stops falling let me know.
Ummm, Phillip. Is there a possibility you have another hobby tinkering with atomic devices?
Jim