I know working with fiberglass as far as glassing and sanding the board is not too great for you lungs and a respirator should be worn, but are there any health risks in just shaping the board as far as what materials are in the foam? Thanks
Itchy skin. And it’s an irritant to your respiratory system.
polyester is polyester. Whether it’s foam prticles or resin particles.
i always wear a respirator wheterh shaping or glassing.
Lungs are important. You need them to do all sorts of fun stuff. take care of them and they will take care of you.
my shaping mentor had to stop shaping because he became extremely allergic to foamdust, resin and fiberglas dust… he used a respirator mask but his skin could not resist it anymore…
I always use a respirator for all the phases of surfboard building… always…
Cabeto
The Clark Foam MSDS states their foam is a fully reacted polymer. By this I assume they intend that no further chemical reaction will normally occur.
Similarly, asbestos is an inert mineral.
My suggestion is to ALWAYS wear a properly fitting respirator with a FILTER having HEPA certification from NIOSH. Respirator filters satisfying this criterion will be described as N100, R100 or P100 on the packaging, and have a magenta band on them. The filters last a long time and actually get more effective with use. Don’t get them wet.
The same respirator body should be fitted with an activated charcoal filter when working with liquid resin.
My office certifies everyone for respirator use, and we’re all issued individually fit tested respirators with both filter types. Lucky for me, I’m chained to a desk writing specifications for abatement jobs, and don’t get into the asbestos containments or lead paint jobs. I get to use the respirator for my shaping and glassing, oh goody.
Asbestos is a mineral and it looks like tiny lightning bolts under the microscope. It puncture the cells of the lungs and they leak to death. Lung cells once dead, do not regenerate