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Those of you who don't know the abbreviation:
Volatile
Organic
Compounds
When we use glue and cleaner to solvent weld plastic pipe to fittings, this is one of the joining processes used.
It's harmful, it states in the MSDS sheets that it attacks the nervous system over time in rats.
Lately I'm going in reverse, taking on remodel jobs and even water heater replacements again just to help me with my other two businesses I started this year. I haven't stepped back as far as putting a shovel in my hand and have no intentions to do so. But lately I'm exposing myself to working with glue and cleaner again and I can't stand it. Tonight is a perfect example.
Just tonight, I ran about 60' of pvc for a bar sink vent. Probably 20 glue joints total that took awhile because of the maze it has to go through to get to an existing vent.
The smell of the glue and cleaner.....I went numb to the smell within 15 minutes. Basement is open, a door and window open with a fan that's not doing much for circulation. To "properly" ventilate that basement would take some heavy duty fans to accomplish a true idea of protecting oneself.
I left out around 9 pm, feeling like hell, stopped by to drop a payment off somewhere and my freakin' hearing starts to disappear. Dizzy as all get out, come home, feeling queazy.
Agitated, short-fused and can't concentrate. Being tired doesn't help but my issues are stemming from the exposure I had tonight, I can tell.
Logical thinking would have others recommending a mask to stop this.
Masks, for the most part can really restrict breathing in these cases and it makes it very difficult with such a device obstructing your vision downward. Your eyes still are subjected to the fumes along with your skin.
Short of a hazmat suit, it's pretty hard in some cases to fully avoid the exposure.
To think of the guys who are forced to work in and around these harmful products daily to keep the bills paid is scary. It's bad stuff. It can't be harmless, no way.
One spark and this stuff blows up. The smell will permeate the entire structure and people comment when they first arrive, wondering if the plumber is high. Well, I'm probably high tonight but it's a terrible feeling and I don't miss these days where I plumbed houses every day. Add in Flux burning with anything else plumbing related, I don't feel oblivious to this stuff anymore.
I'd rather smell a big pile of bung dung than these noxious fumes.
Some of you guys I know for a fact are around this stuff a whole lot more than me. Don't use this thread and act like a hero exclaiming you're not affected by these chemicals. It's impossible and this stuff is probably creating asymptomatic situations without any knowledge it's coming.
Just like lung cancer appears....been going on for a long time and when the symptoms show up, you're years late.
Volatile
Organic
Compounds
When we use glue and cleaner to solvent weld plastic pipe to fittings, this is one of the joining processes used.
It's harmful, it states in the MSDS sheets that it attacks the nervous system over time in rats.
Lately I'm going in reverse, taking on remodel jobs and even water heater replacements again just to help me with my other two businesses I started this year. I haven't stepped back as far as putting a shovel in my hand and have no intentions to do so. But lately I'm exposing myself to working with glue and cleaner again and I can't stand it. Tonight is a perfect example.
Just tonight, I ran about 60' of pvc for a bar sink vent. Probably 20 glue joints total that took awhile because of the maze it has to go through to get to an existing vent.
The smell of the glue and cleaner.....I went numb to the smell within 15 minutes. Basement is open, a door and window open with a fan that's not doing much for circulation. To "properly" ventilate that basement would take some heavy duty fans to accomplish a true idea of protecting oneself.
I left out around 9 pm, feeling like hell, stopped by to drop a payment off somewhere and my freakin' hearing starts to disappear. Dizzy as all get out, come home, feeling queazy.
Agitated, short-fused and can't concentrate. Being tired doesn't help but my issues are stemming from the exposure I had tonight, I can tell.
Logical thinking would have others recommending a mask to stop this.
Masks, for the most part can really restrict breathing in these cases and it makes it very difficult with such a device obstructing your vision downward. Your eyes still are subjected to the fumes along with your skin.
Short of a hazmat suit, it's pretty hard in some cases to fully avoid the exposure.
To think of the guys who are forced to work in and around these harmful products daily to keep the bills paid is scary. It's bad stuff. It can't be harmless, no way.
One spark and this stuff blows up. The smell will permeate the entire structure and people comment when they first arrive, wondering if the plumber is high. Well, I'm probably high tonight but it's a terrible feeling and I don't miss these days where I plumbed houses every day. Add in Flux burning with anything else plumbing related, I don't feel oblivious to this stuff anymore.
I'd rather smell a big pile of bung dung than these noxious fumes.
Some of you guys I know for a fact are around this stuff a whole lot more than me. Don't use this thread and act like a hero exclaiming you're not affected by these chemicals. It's impossible and this stuff is probably creating asymptomatic situations without any knowledge it's coming.
Just like lung cancer appears....been going on for a long time and when the symptoms show up, you're years late.