Supplied Air Respirator Systems

[DoubleT]

Any of you folks use a supplied air respirator? I'm thinking of purchasing a Breathecool II system and I'm looking for some feedback prior to pulling the trigger. Looks like a nice piece of equipment. 

[Anglinarcher]

Not for lure making, but have used it for work some time ago.  It is not what I would say was fun, but it worked for sure for highly contaminated areas.

[Travis]

Fist and foremost PPE should be your last line of protection.   If one doesn't have a beard or health reasons a half mask with proper cartridge would be better in my opinion but still hood/vent system the way to go in regards to safety and cost.    Proper engineering controls are the  way to go.  You would be better off building a hood system and vent outside.  

[Anglinarcher]

Travis has a point.  Engineering controls, like first not using dangerous products, is always the first option.  2nd is venting the material so you don't exceed the PEL, permissible exposure limit, for the toxin.  3rd of course is using the appropriate respirator, and using one that fits and gives you sufficient protection is best. 

The best supplied air is useless if you don't use it, the best half mask is useless if it does not fit or the filters are incorrect.  The supplied air unit I used was bulky, impacted vision, but for the high radiation and chemical levels at the DOE site I was at, it was the only option.  Half mask simply did not provide sufficient protection.

Just don't think a hood is sufficient if the PEL is exceeded.  A sniffer may be necessary if the toxin is bad enough.

[DoubleT]

I heat my plastic in a microwave. The fan on the microwave blows the fumes from the heating plastic into the room. I have a exhaust fan in the window of the room but the fumes/smell are still there to a point. I wear a 3M mask with the 6003 filter but I have a beard I don't get the best seal. Thats what has me thinking about the supplied air system with the half mask. The only thing that looks like it may be worrisome is the hose that goes to the unit. I can see where it could get in the way when walking around in the room. Im sure it is something that a person would have to get used to.

 

[Anglinarcher]

LOL, I should have refrained from answering this question.  BUT, I am not Catholic so I don't think the Vatican will come down on me if I seem to Pontificate about the subject.

Just because you can smell something does not make it dangerous, at least to most of us.  You smell perfume, air freshener, hand lotions, etc., etc., and they don't hurt you.  Now, on the other hand, it gives my wife an allergic reaction and she has a rescue inhaler for church and when  she flies, and it is soooooo fun getting on an airplane with the 3M half face mask for organic vapors.  Yes, you can do it, but the looks are unreal.  A doctor's prescription/note sure does help.

On the other hand, my wife has no issues at all with my plastisol in the microwave.

Get the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for the plastisol you use, learn what PEL (permissible exposure limit) is.  After all, inhale too much water and you will drown, inhale too little and you dehydrate and die, just right and you have a humidifier.

Some, and they are on this site, will preach ultra safety, and if I was doing commercial amounts I would sure have a sniffer and monitor the PEL levels.  I do believe in safety, but I have learned to know what safety really is, and I attempt to not overreact.

Check out the attached SDS from Alumisol and their Plastisol.  I have highlighted the applicable sections in yellow.  Other brands might not be the same, but all are similar.  

Ultimately you must decide for yourself.  BUT, while you can never be too safe, you can be safer then you need to be.  "Just saying" I think is the in phrase now.

Good luck on your research, but I advise that you do not take what we say as though we are lawyers;  WE ARE NOT!

Alumisol SDS -1.pdf

[DoubleT]

Thanks for the info

 

[Travis]

Personally it doesn't worry me to much but I do vent.  I have used a respirator as a precaution, in some instances large extended pours, but overall low on my list of "dangers" I encounter daily. 

If  using a box fan already personally I would just change the set up slightly.   For years I set up with a cheap microwave on a card table in a plywood shroud with box fan in the back blowing out the window.  No fumes to deal with and no smell in the room.  Also used a similar set up in the kitchen with box fan in the window board/microwave across the sink and a "hood" made from pink foam insulation taped.

I have come across threads over the years and some guys report headaches, dizziness,   nose bleeds,  irritated nose/throat, water/itchy eyes, , congestion and may feel "sick" the following day.   A few I figure are just paranoid guys, some coincidence, and then some legit.

Some plasitsol manufactures included  lung irritation as a symptom of long term exposure.   The usual irritation/dermatitis warning also gets slapped on it frequently in regards to skin exposure. 

You will also see decomp products generally listed as: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and HCl listed and the cover our rears "and others possible".    Now not that big of deal as heat about any organic up and carbon dioxide and monoxide not that rare by any means.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Travis

[Driftwood]

I don't use a respirator when doing a few short runs but if I'm running several hundred pieces, I  do wear one. An exhaust fan will do wonders and is a lot more cost friendly.