PPG Concept safety

[Gray E Fowler]

Concerning Concept paint.........Here is my 3.5 cents worth.  The OSHA 
reference is good but remember this is a workplace regulation which means 
it is written as a CYA kinda thing. They assume that if you are using any 
chemical then you are being exposed to it for 8 hours a day because that 
is your job. Based on that they set limits. In reality a guy painting a 
toy airplane at  his house never entered into the realm of OSHA thinking.
So!.....there are two problems that the average pattern geek need to be 
concerned with, Solvent exposure and isocyanate exposure. Dermal exposure 
(aka skin for those of you who do not "dig" tech speak) should not be a 
concern because you should be outside letting the overspray drift away 
from you and onto your neighbors car, or second, if you are inside you 
better get a bigger fan. If not you will be sticky and that is the biggest 
dermal problem....(imagine if you did this 8 hrs a day! you would be UV 
resistant and not require sunscreen at contests-thats a positive way to 
look at it). In short...you ain't gonna die...if you do its not my fault. 
In an overspray situation the solvents will be nearly gone by the time is 
hits your skin. The small amount that of isocyanate on your skin will not 
cause any significant problems...but do not get coated with the 
overspray-change your situation.

The real problem is breathing the overspray-isocyanate much worse than 
solvent. Solvent inhalation problems take alot of solvent for a long 
period of time. (Think about your cousin the glue/paint sniffer and how 
long he has managed to survive half intact directly breathing huge 
concentrations of solvents). Breathing the solvent from Concept once or 
twice a year once again will not kill you. Minimize your exposure and if 
you have a respirator use it.  The major breathing problem is the 
isocyanate. It is nasty and as a matter of fact so nasty that you and I as 
pattern geeks are technically not supposed to even have this paint in our 
possession. But hey...... we are relatively smart guys with big egos and 
we know how to deal with 30% nitro so this should be no problem 
.....right?

The moment isocyanate comes in contact with your body's mucous membranes 
(the WET slimy parts of carbon based units) the isocyanate reacts into a 
crystalline structure (in your lungs) and it aint coming out any time 
soon. Over exposure will give the shortness of breath and flu like 
symptoms.
If you have breathing problems or smoke this will be greatly worse.

Bad news...

"Dust" masks will not protect you from solvent or isocyanate exposure.
That respirator you bought last year that has been used twice will not 
protect you either-unless you have new cartridges on it. If you paint a 
plane every 3 months you had better have new cartridges every time IF you 
are breathing the overspray.
Try not to inhale the overspray....me- I am an expert at holding my breath 
while painting. Of course anything that reduces the overspray, or gets it 
outta your way is good.





Gray Fowler
Principal Chemical Engineer
Composites Engineering
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