Lifespan-what effect has board building chemicals had on ourselves and friends....?

General Discussion
1

 I, like many others, have read in these pages about the loss of valued friends and colleagues in the surfboard construction industry..

 I think its directly linked to the many carcongenic surfboard building chemicals that we all willingly come in contact with.

 Personally Ive washed my arms in acetone thousands of times to remove poly resin,

 shaped hundreds of boards without a respirator,

hand laminated poly boards without gloves,

slept in fresh PU foam shavings,

 and breathed in gallons of black smoke as we burnt PUPE boards on the beach at night back in the 70's.

 Im in my 60's and I can see that the end is in sight for me, but what age have others succumbed,

  and to what degree has the industry contributed to their downfall ?

 

 

2

Interesting post, Surfoils.  I wonder too.  I have only been shaping for 12 years and have been very very careful from the begining, but in my teenage years, not even a little.  I used to soak my hands in leaded gas as I cleaned engine parts for my experiments.  Breathed all kind of crap.  We just didn’t know.  I worry, though about it.

3

Surffoils, My neighbor  was a boat finisher. He worked with fiberglass,resins,varnish ect. everyday. He never used any kind of protection always washing up with acetone, or whatever thinners were at hand. He got cancer at the age of 53 and passed away at 55. I had a long talk with him about 6 months before he died. About 6 months before he died they had to cut off one of his legs. He told me that it was his carelessnes that kild him (and that damn ACETONE ). He was angry with himself for haveing been such a fool !!

4

arnold eheret wrote the mucousless diet and healing system.

the basis for many a life altering change of life in the 60’s

and 70s

Arnold Ehret (29 July 1866–9 October 1922)[1] 

was a German health educator

author of several books on diet,

 detoxification, fruitarianism, 

fasting,food combining, health,

 longevity, naturopathy,physical

culture and vitalism.


 

In 1887, aged 21, he graduated as a Professor of Design[12] from a college in Baden, and was drafted into the military only to be discharged after 9 months of service, because of heart disease.[7] After studying inFrankfurt,[13] he then taught there at a technical school for 15 years.[14] At 31, he was diagnosed withBright’s disease (inflammation of the kidneys) by Dr G. Riedlin, and pronounced incurable by 24 of Europe’s most respected doctors.[7] He visited several sanitariums in Europe to learn holistic methods and philosophies including the Sebastian Kneipp sanitarium.[7]

 

 

 

 

 Ehret, aged 56, fell, sustaining a 

fatal blow to his skull.

he was walking briskly on a wet, oil-soaked street

during foggy conditions when he slipped on the curb

and fell backward onto his head. 

…ambrose…

 

ventilate ventilate ventilate

walk out side of the fume room

take a deep breath hold it

 worki in the fumes

exhale walk outside

take a deep breath

go back in exhale

go back out take

a breath walk back in.

best if you dont breathe

while in the fumes

hold your breath.

 


5

I can say that someone like me with bad lungs (asthma) pays the price every time I work on boards. I notice some after affects from sanding, glassing and spraying final coats. Problem is that this is a serious addiction, and one that’s hard to break. 

Yes I do use PPE (personal protection equipment) these days, in the 70’s never did, but I still glass in short sleeves and shorts and get drops of resin on me here and there. 

I figure that with my clogged arteries (8 stents), severe sleep apnea, asthma, and sinus allergies, I won’t be around for the long run. I just want to enjoy every day, one day at a time, and be thankful for what I already have. Just make sure that the wife and kids are going to be OK if I do leave earlier than they want.

Today out surfing, I saw a guy behind me on 2 really good waves. He must have taken off way back behind the bowl. After I pulled out I noticed he had given up trying to make the ride. I told him “I owe 2 waves” and he said no worries brah, I was too far back one those anyway." That’s the kind of vibe I hope to have as I go through life, “No worries brah, just enjoy”. 

"

6

2 ladies, both family friends. Very healthy, very active, non smokers, non smoking environment.....both die of lung Cancer.

George Burns, smoked and drank till he was 99.9.

 

Genetics, Genetics...Genetics.  Protect youself as best as possible, whenever possible. But there will be a handful of us that it won't matter how well you protect.

Enjoy your hobby, and protect yourself with quality 3M products. Don't settle for cheap.

7

Interesting subject I started building plastic scale models when I was ten using styrene glue and lacquer and enamel paints never in a well ventilated room as stated on instructions (no p.p.e.) Then I started playing with resin,fiberglass and styrene making paipos and other projects washing my hands with acetone after hands were coated with resin(no p.p.e.) In the late seventies I was told buy a laminator that I should use p.p.e.He told me when he dies they’ll most likely be able to cut out a resin mold of his lungs so I bought a 3m mask but still didn’t use gloves. Started refinishing bicycle frames blasting them with copper slag blast medium not so healthy stuff to be fooling around with and the chemicals they put in the hardeners for the paint bad stuff. I’ve been working helicopters for the last twenty five years and have to read the Material Safety Data Sheets for all the adhesives,paints,lubricants chemicals that I come in contact with. I make the young guys read the last few lines on most of the lubricants we use which states prolonged contact may cause injury or death. I also ask them if they plan to have children. I use my p.p.e. now for the last twenty years every time I go in for my annual flight physical I have to tell the the flight surgeon yes I know my heart beats strangely. I have to do some excersize to get it to register on th ekg machine. Yeap  wonder about working with toxic chemicals. Have heard abou how much benzene is in your hot car at the end of the day when you get in it?

8

I have to admit that at times I think about the time bomb that might be ticking inside my body.  in the 1980's I did alot of work with epoxy I did wear gloves and other protection. At some point I became cemicaly sebsitive to The Epoxy.  The newer resines don,t seem to bother me as much.  Yet every so often for no apartent reason a rash will breakout on my hands.

9

What needs to be factored is your total environmental exposure.

I was involved in an US-EPA, CAL-EPA turf conflict on establishing new exposure levels for TCE-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichloroethylene - on a site where I was just starting the buildout of a 23 acre high tech corporate campus in Silicone Valley.  25 years earlier, the property had been the Siemens computer chip manufacturing site, and an underground TCE tank, a common solvent used in  computer chip production, dry cleaning, aircraft fuselage cleaning, etc, had leaked into the ground during that period.  The due diligence on the site during escrow had noted the spill and a previous engineering study had verified “safe” exposure levels within the US-EPA limits - when CAL-EPA suddenly proposed that TCE exposure limits be reduced in half of the current acceptable limit.

 So we needed to retest the site to verify we met the new lower exposure limits to meet the compliance level, and more importantly to verify our employees would be safe working there.  So I hired two of the best environmental engineering firms specializing in air quality to conduct independent exposure air monitoring studies to develop the required data to make a go/no decision on the project.

 

Ok, now the point to this long windup - turned out the exposure levels were well below the new proposed limits, and far less harmful then the air we were breathing every day just being outside.  Over 50 different carcinogenic toxins were identified in measurable quantities within the 24/7 outside air sampling we were comparing to the inside sampling…worse in the mix?   DIESEL EXHAUST…high levels of all the crap that comes out of the millions of diesel engines used in everything from pick-ups to semi’s to buses to earth movers.  Unregulated, cancer causing free floating radicals streaming out black death from 4" exhaust pipes.  Both engineering firms stated in their separated presentations, that if every other carcinogenic chemical could be removed from the air, just the diesel exhaust levels alone represents a guaranteed percentage of cancers per 100,000 folks.  Combined with all the rest, carcinogenic soup. And per the testing companies, the outside air results in Silicone Valley were not anomalies, they were actually fairly normal for the average urban area across the nation and much less then industrial manufacturing areas.

So the real problem isn’t just what you’re exposed to in the glassing bay, it’s that exposure becoming a multiplier to the other carcinogens you’re exposed to 24/7.  Live in an low wind, land locked urban area, the overall exposure is greater.  Live on a wind washed coast, obviously less.

However, there is a good reason why the VOG in HI affects so many folks health when it’s bad …it’s composition is similar to diesel exhaust, though contains far less carcinogenics.

bottom line - we’re exposed to carcinogens in our food, in our air, throw away water bottles, etc etc…so when in the glassing bays, why not use the best protection you can to decrease the multiplier effect…?

10

Isnʻt it so true, sometimes the things we love will eventually kill us; I thought I was invincible[ good diet, marathons, triathlons,biking by the ton and I had a heart attack after kitesurfing one day; I thought it was acid indigestion until the ER doctor straightened me out; many factors contributed to this event; genetics,toxic board building materials[ especially poly resin and automotive paint],diesel fumes from 20 yrs as a longshoreman and stress[ self induced mostly]; and Iʻm still building boards [what a dumb f@#king ass]; yeah, this shit is bad and we all know it; maybe we should be offering some good ideas on how we can reverse the effects on a daily basis be doing serious cardio and lung cleansing activities like surfing, running,walking,swimming; maybe Iʻm fooling myself but I have to have some hope that Iʻm doing something positive to improve the situation; board building is a serious addiction and glassing is a serious art form; so keep the good respirator and gloves close by and use em always and lets hear some positive solutions[ other than giving up glassing] that can help us live long,artistic lives in our shops!!!

11

…yes, its all in the genetics and stress

the other day a doctor told me the difference in genetic problems in Blacks and White people.

 

-by the way, Surffoils, so you shaped hundreds of boards and doing all the stuff, etc

I wondering how when you put pictures, they look totally amateurish

12

OOOOh, yellow card for telling the truth but low blow nonetheless;[ lemme see those pics!!]

13

 

I just want to remind you that you are still here.  Live while you are alive and do what you enjoy.  Every one of us, no matter how old or young, no matter how careful or foolish is going to die.  That just how life works.  People die every day.

14
Well guys I turn 61 next month on August 26th. As a cerified carpenter/joiner I spent my youth in the Aussie sun wearing a pair of baggy board shorts (& nothing else) out of work hours & a pair of baggy boardshorts & boots & sox (& nothing else) during work hours. We installed glassfibre insulation batts in roofs & walls (it was the latest technology for insulating your home) & scratched & scratched & we cut asbestos cement sheets with fibreglass re-inforced cutting disc in a Black & Decker power saw every day of our lives & we shaped our blanks & glassed our shapes & loved the smell & sat around in the shaping room smoking & drinking & generally ingesting EVERYTHING (PPE?? never heard of it back then) , AND SO FAR no asbestosis, no melenomas (still like to get the shirt off in the sun), no enphesema, still wash my hands regularly in acetone, BUT do wear gloves now when I glass, do cover up in a disposable coverall when I shape, do have an extraction system on my planer, do wear breathing aparatus (double filter mask) etc. etc. so NOT DEAD YET Maybe just f*&%ing lucky!!       
15

Oh & the Missus who never did any of that stuff & always slapped on the SPF30 on herself & the kids, well she was diagnosed 3 yrs ago with breast cancer. So I have agree with the school of thought that it's genetics or luck.

16

be wise.

herb

 

17

Just shaped my first board with a shitty mask that didn’t fit so I opted to not use one instead of driving 30 min. to home depot. I was quite worried  until I remembered that scene in Zoolander.

"Cough…cough…

I have the  BLACK LUNG dad…"