[Spridgets] Welding safety - Brake Cleaner can kill you

andrewpayne at intrex.net andrewpayne at intrex.net
Sun May 9 13:36:06 MDT 2010


I may be a chicken little on this, but this was a danger that I did not grasp from the manuals.  As with any hobby worth doing, the car hobby has risks. I try to have good habits and watch out for the imminent dangers, electrocution, cutting of a limb, blindness. My research tells me that phosgene should be in the same category.  After learning about the danger, I have asked several welders about the risk.  All have worked with someone who is either permanently disabled or will likely have lifelong tremors or similar problems.  Admittedly, I live in a small town, and it could be the same guy.  Many folks say they have gotten lucky many times.  
Apparently arc/MIG welding provides the perfect atmosphere to create the toxin.  Heat, UV, and the welder is typically quite close to his work.  
I'm not saying that it will happen, but this is a under-emphasised risk, which seems more probable for us weekend warriors who have old cans all around and work in less than ideal spaces.  Not to rant, but this is an issue with our litigious society, nothing is safe, but it is hard to filter the certain death warnings from the things that happened once to a guy that won a lawsuit.. All car ads feature text saying "do not attempt" whenever the car is shown in motion.  I saw an ad for an inhaler that read "not a capsule, do not swallow.". So I, and probably many others, skim the warnings, disregard half since the item will only cause cancer in California, then try to figure out how not to get electrocuted.  it's disclosure overload.  My safety glasses came with a tag that read,"never operate this tool without proper eye protection".
In closing the only guy in town that welds used gas tanks told me he was scared of Phosgene, but the gas tanks are what paralyzed him.
Drew
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry


More information about the Spridgets mailing list