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The VA has been unable to find anything wrong with me, went to the ER last night because I am always short of breath, and cant even walk up steps without getting winded. The air goes in and out of my lungs ok, but I dont get enough O2 into my system. They put me on O2 for a while and it helped a bit, and when the doc said everything is normal, and my heart isnt stopping, I started looking into environmental possibilities.
Isocyanate. Its in all sorts of things, but in clears, hardeners, and activators. Some people get sensitized to it easier than others, and when you do it causes asthma like symptoms, shortness of breath, wheezing, etc. It can also cause skin irritation and rashes. The stuff is found in all sorts of things, even foam insulation and mattresses. The stuff wont show up as a problem on any normal test for breathing problems, and the symptoms are almost exactly what I have been getting. Then you figure in I paint cars for fun and something to do in my shop and it all falls into place.
Turns out I needed a positive displacement air supply instead of the filtered respirator I was using to paint. Thankfully I am not dead, and most people recover but are still sensitive to it. So in the future if I am shooting clear or something with it in it, I will have the right stuff to keep me from getting sick again.
The problem arose when I shot the clear on the GTO, then a few months later shot Walt's tank and the last few pieces of the GTO with the same respirator. Im pretty sure the stuff saturated the filters and ended up getting a big dose of it through the mask.
So now the chore is getting the MSDS from the paint shop, then showing it to the VA, getting whatever tests done they need to verify it, and start with the cortisone steroids to fix it. I hate steroids because I get rages so damn bad on them. Now I know not to screw myself up in the future, and I am acutely aware of the hazards involved with my hobby.
Always check the MSDS on stuff, and see if you are going to kill yourself, or just wish you were dead if you are exposed to something.
Isocyanate. Its in all sorts of things, but in clears, hardeners, and activators. Some people get sensitized to it easier than others, and when you do it causes asthma like symptoms, shortness of breath, wheezing, etc. It can also cause skin irritation and rashes. The stuff is found in all sorts of things, even foam insulation and mattresses. The stuff wont show up as a problem on any normal test for breathing problems, and the symptoms are almost exactly what I have been getting. Then you figure in I paint cars for fun and something to do in my shop and it all falls into place.
Turns out I needed a positive displacement air supply instead of the filtered respirator I was using to paint. Thankfully I am not dead, and most people recover but are still sensitive to it. So in the future if I am shooting clear or something with it in it, I will have the right stuff to keep me from getting sick again.
The problem arose when I shot the clear on the GTO, then a few months later shot Walt's tank and the last few pieces of the GTO with the same respirator. Im pretty sure the stuff saturated the filters and ended up getting a big dose of it through the mask.
So now the chore is getting the MSDS from the paint shop, then showing it to the VA, getting whatever tests done they need to verify it, and start with the cortisone steroids to fix it. I hate steroids because I get rages so damn bad on them. Now I know not to screw myself up in the future, and I am acutely aware of the hazards involved with my hobby.
Always check the MSDS on stuff, and see if you are going to kill yourself, or just wish you were dead if you are exposed to something.
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