Re: Warning for Epoxy users
About 15 or so years back I worked for a car dealership which also did body work. I was not in the body shop but worked directly adjacent to it. There was an open 12' overhead door between my work bay and the body shop.
I remember an OSHA rep coming in and sitting the entire shop down for a safety speech. They made an issue of me being so close but unprotected to breathing the fumes. They were forced to put up a plastic door and cross vent to prevent fumes from getting into the mechanics shop area.
Not long afterwards, they had a guy come in to demonstrate a new plastic bumper repair technique. Since I was one that would often do minor body fixes, I sat in on the training. The repair was using a new epoxy to fix or save torn urethane bumper covers. One of the managers asked about breathing the fumes and one the big sales pushes was that there were no harmful fumes and no mask was needed but gloves were supplied with the kits.
Myself, I've used epoxy now for many years, at least as long as it's been around as a fishing rod coating. I've never developed a sensitivity to it but prolonged contact or failure to wash off any hardener that may have come in contact with skin can sometimes produce an itchy rash in that area. Nothing serious but about the same as if I had handled raw fiberglass batting. (That stuff tears me up something terrible, I get a reaction to fiberglass insulation that looks like poison ivy, and I don't have to really handle it).
I have little to no reaction to handling or cutting boat fiberglass, but again, that's done with a respirator, gloves and often either a junk pair of coveralls or a Tyvek suit. I admit I often forgo the Tyvek suit if it's super hot outside. I'll take my chances vs. heat stroke and death in a suit.
I have a box of military surplus respirators I've been using for years. They are designed for silica exposure and chemical exposure. The inserts interchange with the mask that Snap On tools sells as well as a few others. I like the carbon filters since they are twice as deep and easier to breath through. No odor gets through. I've also got a fresh air system that was designed for a local boat builder that went out of business. It supplies outside, filtered, temp controlled air to a mask through a hose. The hose is a bit of a hassle but I find that lowering the air temp can do wonders for comfort on a hot day.
I bought the rig at an auction for probably a fraction of what its worth, but I'm glad I did. I do a lot of welding, and on a cold day, it lets me close the doors, turn up the ventilator fans and still breath clean air while not freezing.
