on blue foam board kill me? Or are they just noxious?
I wouldn’t recommend inhaling them.
This is something best done with lots of ventilation. Outdoors if possible. The fumes are toxic, that is why most building codes require any foam insulation to be behind drywall or plywood, not exposed, to limit the production of toxic gases during a fire. The big threat in modern construction is the toxic gases created by plastics and foam materials during a fire and spreading through the structure. “Smoke inhalation” is the polite term for what happens.
I would say that, at best, the fumes are neutral…but I wouldn’t believe it. Those foam compounds are supposed to be fire resistant, but if they do actually begin to burn, they give off toxic fumes. I would not characterize the melting and liquefying of the foam as burning per se. Still, they must condense somehow, and doing that in the alveoli of the lungs can’t be a good thing.
You may have someone answer who knows more about the temps and the changes that take place.
In my experience, the mrr warnings about fumes while cutting are extremely overblown. I’ve noticed hardly any fumes, and even then it was only when I was purposefully looking for them per the warnings on mrr forums.
A burning house with the stuff on the walls, yeah, breath that and you’re in trouble.
Project cutting for a mrr, I haven’t seen an issue.
The fumes from melting foam ARE TOXIC! DO NOT BREATHE THEM IN DIRECTLY. The fumes do dissapate pretty quickly, but you should at least have a fan going while you’re doing the cutting with hot tools, or wear a respirator.
I always have a couple of oscillating fans going when I’m working on the layout, it keeps the air moving when I’m painting or soldering or doing some other noxious task. It also helps bllast or gound cover dry more quickly. I also keep a fan going in my work shop as well.
Because the foam is melting and not burning the fumes are not “deadly”. However the fumes from anything like that are toxic and should not be inhaled if it can be avoided. Certainly don’t ever let a concentration of fumes build up where you have no fersh air. Think about it logically. Can this sort of thing be considered GOOD for your lungs? I don’t think so. That only leaves one other possibility, that it is BAD for your lungs…etc.[:)]
My local Home Depot doesn’t have either blue or pink. I guess I’m going to Lowe’s.
I’m going to be doing this in my garage with the garage door, and a side door, open.
There’s no need to use any hot tools. You can use any wood cutting tools, or sharp knives, (I use the breakaway utility knives you can get at a $ store. As long as you’re not heating the stuff, there are no fumes, just dust and crumbs, just wear a dust mask and vacuum when you’re done.
Take it from a fire fighter. The fumes are very toxic. You DO NOT want to be inhaling that stuff. If at all possible take it outside. If that’s not possible, make sure the room you’re working in has windows that can opened and it is well ventilated.
After having worked with the blue DOW foam daily for the last several years I am on the side that says if you apply enough heat to melt it you release fumes. The volume of fumes released will depend on how hot the heat is and how much you are melting. Me personally, if I were to heat up a rod to melt a 1/4" hole one time I would do it without second thoughts but any more and I would look to a ventilated/outdoorsey location.
The sky is falling!
According to every real source I could find, it’s not toxic when heated. Even when actually burning, the byproducts are only mildly toxic according to the Materials Safety Data Sheet. (I wouldn’t breath them though. Why take a chance?)
http://glasscellisofab.com/en/polystyrene.html (click on the one that you want)
HAZARDOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS:
Upon burning the product generates dense black smoke with small amounts of hydrogen bromide, -chloride, and -fluoride. Studies have shown that the products of combustion of this foam are not more acutely toxic than the products of combustion of common building materials such as wood.
The dust, however is an irritant - wear a mask.
MSDS here:
http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=15009017
http://glasscellisofab.com/sheets/polystyrene/msds/styrofoam_msds.pdf
http://www.aeromfg.com.au/html/styrofoam_msds.html
This discussion comes up frequently. Now, I will admit that the manufacturer could be lying (never happen [:-^]). With that in mind - Jeffrey, has your state sent any definitive additional information to the fire service? If so, I would love to have a copy to pass along to mine. Yeah, I wore a white hat for fifteen years. I got tired of the paperwork.
Karl
Here’s an interesting thing: neither my local Home Depot nor Lowes’ sell pink or blue foam boards–only white. Now I notice that white is also what WS offers. So what’s up? Should I keep hunting for the blue or pink?
The color doesn’t matter, but what you want is extruded foam, not the “beadboard” type stuff, and that is usually what the white sheets are.
I.e., if it looks the same texture as a styrofoam cooler, no good.
Try a local lumber yard instead of a chain; that’s where I get mine. They tend to cater to local contractors, who use the extruded a lot.