Skitterbug wrote:Yeah, I didn't see any warnings about a respirator or anything
Funny thing about consumer art supplies, the testing isn't as stringent as you'd think. Non-toxic doesn't mean it's safe to eat/breathe/touch. That just means the material was fed to 10 rats and only 5 of them died and the rest are on life support.
I could just say, "Wear a respirator" but let's take a look at what the professionals have to say by glancing through the
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for this stuff. That's where the real information on safety and toxicity will be. MSDSs are written by the manufacturer and are required to be kept up to date. OSHA requires an MSDS of every material used on a job site or work place to be at that site and available to all workers.
Since the Amazing Sculpt is two components, there are two MSDSs, let's just look at the first component, Amazing Sculpt™ Resin Part A.
http://www.amazingsculpt.com/msds/amazi ... pt_a_b.pdfIf you haven't seen one of these things (MSDS) before, here are some parts to look at.
Section 1 is the manufacturer, name and address, and the emergency contact number, in this case it's 911. So in an emergency such as a large scale spill (unlikely), or a fire, or an over exposure they suggest you just call 911, like any other emergency.
Section 2 lists the main ingredients and some important information about them.
Across the top of the chart you see
Chemical Name, Amount %, CAS #, OSHA PEL, and ACGIH TWA.
Chemical Names, you probably won't recognize many of those since there are millions of chemicals with hundreds of new ones created every day.
Amount %, pretty straight forward. The percentage of the chemical in any given amount of the material. These won't always add up to 100% as they are just listing the most important chemicals of note.
CAS#, this is the Chemical Abstracts Service, which keeps a database of information on chemicals. Generally speaking information about the chemicals in their database is submitted to them. CAS isn't deconstructing or testing every chemical they find.
Now we're getting to the good parts of Section 2,
OSHA PEL, You probably recognize OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and depending on what job/industry you work in you may have come across some of their carefully crafted rules. PEL stands for Permissible Exposure Limits. PELs are regulatory limits on the amount or concentration of a substance in the air. PELs may also list a designation for skin contact. OSHA PELs are based on an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) exposure, meaning this should be the limit to a worker's exposure for a typical 8 hour work day.
And lastly,
ACGIH TWA. ACGIH stands for the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. From their documentation, "ACGIH® advances worker protection by providing timely, objective scientific information to occupational and environmental health professionals." TWA is the total weight average and as defined by OSHA, "TWA is the employee's average airborne exposure in any 8-hour work shift of a 40-hour work week which shall not be exceeded."
These levels are set (suggested) by the ACGIH and other organizations.
Still with me? Okay the important thing to note in this section is the OSHA PEL and the ACGIH TWA are all listed as "none established", which generally means these chemicals have not been tested. They don't know how toxic they are because no one has done the extensive testing required to set an exposure limit.
But let's move on...
Section 3, HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
This section is telling. First it lists the Effects of Overexposure. Of course we don't know how much an overexposure is because the materials haven't been tested. But they do list symptoms of overexposure so they do recognize this stuff might not be good for you.
Acute: (acute exposure could be a one time, short term exposure, like I worked with the stuff for a couple hours one day) Slightly irritating to skin, moderately irritating to eyes. Odor may irritate nose, throat and respiratory track of some persons.
Chronic: (chronic exposure could be I work with the stuff every day in my 40 hour a week job for the last X number of years) May cause skin sensitization from prolonged and repeated contact.
This last one's my favorite.
Carcinogenicity: Early studies with DGEBPA have been negative. The IARC concluded in 1988 that DGEBPA was not classifiable as a carcinogen.
The IARC is the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization. In "early" studies done over 20 years ago, DGEBPA (Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A, the first component of interest in our material) was not classified as a carcinogen. This sounds good at first. It's to the manufacturer's benefit to list anything "positive" like this, but it does say "early" studies. It doesn't say who did these studies or how extensive they were. How about long term studies? And DGEBPA was
NOT classified as
non-carcinogenic, it was just wasn't classified as a carcinogen (at that time).
Section 4, FIRST AID MEASURES
It never hurts to know what to do in case something happens...
There are a few interesting items in what appears to be standard steps to take in case of over exposures.
Eyes: Flush with water for 15 minutes holding eyelids open. Seek medical attention.
Skin: Remove contaminated clothing and shoes and wipe excess off skin. Flush skin with water. Follow by washing in soap and water. If irritation occurs, seek medical attention. Do no reuse clothing until cleaned.
Contaminated leather articles (shoes) cannot be decontaminated and should be destroyed.Inhalation: Remove victim to fresh air and provide oxygen if breathing is difficult. Give artificial respiration if not breathing. Get medical attention.
Ingestion: Do not give liquids if victim is unconscious or very drowsy. Otherwise, give no more than 2 glasses of water and induce vomiting by giving 2 tablespoons of syrup of ipecac (1 table spoon and 1 glass of water for child). If ipecac is unavailable, give 2 glasses of water and induce vomiting by touching finger to back of throat. Keep head below hips while vomiting. Get medical attention.
Medical Conditions Generally Aggravated by Exposure:
Other than skin sensitization which appears to be permanent, epoxy resin does not appear to cause long term health effects. Nor does it appear to aggravate other medical conditions.
Again, skipping ahead...
Section 8, EXPOSURE CONTROLS/PERSONAL PROTECTION
Respiratory Protection:
Normally none is required when adequate ventilation is provided. In the absence of proper environmental control NIOSH approved respiratory is required. For emergencies, a self-contained breathing apparatus or full-faced respirator is recommended.
Ventilation: Provide adequate ventilation in work areas. Confine material in sealed containers when not in use.
Hand Protection:
Always wear impervious gloves, neoprene, vinyl or rubber.Eye Protection:
Splash proof goggles or safety spectacles with side shields are recommended. Always wear eye protection when sanding cured epoxy resins to avoid dust in eyes.
Other Protective Equipment: Wear clean, body-covering clothing to avoid skin contact.
How come it doesn't have these warnings on the label?Because this sort of labeling isn't required for consumer products. MSDSs are only required where a product is used in a work place.
And the last of our points of interest,
Section 11, TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION.
Under Toxicological Information the MSDS says:
OSHA PEL: None established.
ACGIH TLV: None established.
Again, "none established" means, "I dunno."
Did any of this scare ya? It should, at least a little so you'll take the necessary steps to protect yourself. The bottom line is (Thank gawd, I thought he'd never finish!) as it is with all things that have a stink,
adequate ventilation and/or wear a respirator. And in the case of this stuff, it wouldn't hurt to wear gloves.
