Metal dust and your lungs... ?? Safety ??

Okay, been shootin' metal dust all over the garage for several years now. After doing 42 pie cuts this weekend and turning my floor to black dust, I started thinking that maybe I'm being a real dumbass by not wearing a dust mask or something to keep from breathing this stuff in. My normal safety practice is to wear safety glasses and then a shield over that. Is this sufficient considering these are not dust particles that linger in the air, or am I really opening myself up to trouble here? Am I being overly caustious?

What do you guys do and what are your thoughts? I don't want the "metal lung" or something...

 

I started using a respirator at work when I'm spraying finish or any sort of cutting and I've found that it's sensitized me to the dust and now I have a hard time doing anything too messy without it.. I don't think that's a bad thing, it's nice to breathe clean air when you're working.

 

i've often wondered about the same thing. i cant' stand to wear a dust mask cause they only seem to make my glasses fog up but i do occasionaly wear a paint resperator when i know i'll be doing alot of grinding. makes a difrference in how i feel when i'm done i know that much. no black boogers for 3 days afterward.

 

From an industry safety standpoint, you probably should. I worked in the body assembly area of a Ford plant for several years. For the operations that were around spot welding and wire welding, no dust masks were required. For the operations that required grinding and DA sanding, not only were dust masks or respirators required, but they had to be inside a booth with a downdraft.

I hate dust masks, but still wear them if I'm going to be doing more than a couple of minutes worth of sanding or grinding. It definitely keeps the black boogers at a minimum, which has to be a good thing on some level!

 

!!!!!!!WEAR A MASK!!!!!!!!!!
My dad is 62 and his lungs are at a 29% level, 71% damaged, from not wearing a mask since he started working when he was 16.
Now he can't do what he loves the most.

 

I agree,
You already know the answer to this question.

 

Paper ones are acceptable and a respirator would be considered ideal. I use paper unless I'm painting.

 

The paper dust masks are at best MIMIMAL protection, the respirator style masks with replaecable filter elements or canisters are the BEST protection.

 

Here's somthing my wife hipped me to: Always put your respirator in a sealed container (ziplock, tupperware, etc.) when not in use. When it's just hanging in your shop on a nail its still collecting dust and junk in the filters making them pretty useless when you need it. Saves money and your lungs. -stick

 

That's one reason why I am not a huge fan of those abrasive cutoff saws - too noisey too messy. Most guys won't grab their masks for "just one cut" ...... as I've gotten older I at least try to minimize the dust producing tasks. Enter my "new" (to me) cold saw - I use it in about 99% of the tasks I would have used the abrasive cut off saw.

Bottom line - IF you gotta make dust (paint, metal, whatever) why breathe it in - we all know sooner or later - it's gonna catch up with us. Use your mask!!!!

 

Hey Bumb,

Dig this, in my line of work, if CalOSHA comes onto one of my jobs
and finds my respirator hangin' on a nail or hook, anywhere other
than on my face or the protective bag it's to be stored in, it's good
for a ticket.
At the very LEAST wear a paper "TittyCup" respirator when gring-
ing or sanding.

Swankey Devils C.C.

 

The hairs in your nose and upper respiratory tract act as a basic filter for large particles but in no way will protect you from most of what happens in a shop. If you're not wearing a mask you're making the same 'lifestyle' decision my grandfather made when he smoked 3 packs a day. I can't imagine him without a pack of pall malls in his shirt pocket but I also miss him very much. Use the mask and change the cartridges often.

 

Great input guys! I have a couple great candidates for respirators. A nice 3M one that I bought for painting and also a smaller single cylinder type that's pretty light weight. The paper one's fog my glasses up because my nose is a weird shape or something. LOL! Aything with a flexible rubber face receiver seems to work well.

Okay, so we're concluding this is an obvious good idea... now, let's turn this into the "what do you use thread" and let's see what works best for the application.

I'm going to start using mine today! Black boogers can't be a good thing!

 

Yeah, I wear the "tittie cup" and put my glasses out away from my eyes about a half inch farther than you might normally to keep the fog down. Clamping the metal nose strip down tight helps a little.

You can get a good respirator with the rubber mask and charcoal/paper filters at Home Depot for 30 bucks. Definately worth it.

 

i always at least wear a bandanda or rag around my nose and mouth.

 

If im in a hurry I pull my t-shirt up over my nose it`s better than nothing I guess.................

 

New shop wont have much grinding done in it. I plan on doing the nasty work outside. It seems that once you start doing lots of dirty work, you can never get that dust out of everything. Eventually, I will have a separate "dirty room"

 

Where do you get NIOSH certified tshirts, bandanas and rags? My dad has chronic lead poisioning from spraying red and white lead paints back in the 50s -60s before we became so conscious about these hazards. It sucks to have something like that come back and bite you after you retire.

Take care of yourself now, live a long life and enjoy it.

Larry

 

Probably a valuable step for us...protecting our lungs.
http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/menu/topic/ppe_respiratory.html
Here's a farm site: go down and read the spraying paint entry. (it is highly OVER-symplified!) I looked several places for subjects like: welding, cutting, grinding etc.

My practice to bend the metal nose strip in the filter, so it conforms well. Then, if it's questionable dust, add a seal of petroleum jelly to the inside edge of the filter!
Toxic or solvent based fumes require a charcoal or element charged filter mask. Next level of complexity, to allow you to breathe.

 

Saw these on Aircraft Spruce's website. These look comfy... Cheap too!!

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/moldexmask.php



Anyone using these?

 

I use the 3M filters with throw away cartridges. They work well for paint and seem to filter out dust even better (larger particles). Fairly cheap too.

 

Hmm...

I welded up the exh system on the Track Roadster sat evening and Sunday afternoon; after both welding episodes my throat was a bit sore - it was gone the next AM.

Solution? A respirator is a good thing.

 

if you are fogging your glasses your respirator doesen't fit your face. that also means fumes and particles still reach your lungs and senuses'. It's a pain in the ass to wear them but what these guys say is true.

 

Atthe power plant where I work we have "paper" masks with a flap for the exhaled air. They are made by 3m. They are the only paper style mask I will wear..

 

I always thought magnetic boogers were kind of cool. The dust from using a wire wheel on rust is what get's me.

 

My dad died at 94 from pulmonary fibrosis (doctor said it is from working in a dusty area like black lung disease) but he was a big boss at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft for the assembly and test departments. Very little dust there. He quit smoking in '65 after 25 years of Kents but the doc said it wasn't that. He grew up around and worked at a Asbestos brake lining company but the doc said it wasn't that. I don't remember him ever wearing a mask around the house but then he never built a Hot Rod from scratch. I keep saying I'll wear a mask when I find one that doesn't fog my glasses but is that a good reason? For big grinding jobs I have a full face mask that works great but I can't wear my glasses under it so I only wear it for roughing down some welds. I do have a blower that sucks air in my front window and out through the blower that I keep on all the time and it does help with the "black boogers".

 

Those aircraft spruce ones say they come in a box of twenty-- so is $1.19 the price per mask or per box of 20???

 

you should try to avoid any metal particles from entering you system in any way. i weld a lot of galvo at work, if not galvo, then red primer, or epoxy paint, i got used to wearing the 3m respirator with the throw away filters, i try to grab a few extra here and there to bring home, i use it whenever i can. dont forget the dust entering through your eyes. dont forget the fiberglass that hold the abrasive wheels together. face shield is nice to have around the shop too. at home i usually try ot do my cutting and welding i nthe driveway instead of in the garage, but i have a forced air furnace fan setup im going to put in my garage to keep the air moving.

 

My Father in law just died from the same disease...they couldn't tell exactly where the problem started...just that it was from some form of dust he was exposed to over a period of time in the past.
He was in Hospital for 4 weeks (after 2 years of using liquid oxygen as needed at home) on a ventilator and 100% Oxygen, but his lungs were down to 13% operational so there was no coming home...EVER.
He tired of the fight and told the DR. to put him on the small, less effective mask so he could pass away with dignity. Lasted a full 1/2 hour.

He was an amazing man who could do anything...and WELL...I miss him so much it just tears me apart to even be writing this...BUT it needs to be out there as a warning. This is a slow and sad way to go.

Wear AT LEAST a quality dust mask...and the ones with the small exhaust valve are usually more comfortable as the hot breath comes out easier instead of heating up your face and making you sweat.

 

You fags think you're gonna to live forever...?

Metal dust... red jellybeans... bacon... whatever...
It's all gonna kill ya.

You stir up more dust driving down a gravel road and folding laundry.

I'm more afraid of burning my hair...


JOE