Toxic Paint Fumes & the Repercussions!

Last night, (as a Treat for me?) my wife took me to Mamas, to Celebrate my Sister-in-Laws Birthday. WOW! at 59, I thought, she would have gotten used to them by now but she is a kid at heart.
Hmmmm now where was I? oh yes! the story.

my BIL asked at some stage, Jack! how many, beers have you Had?

Indignantly I replied, None Not been out since Monday. now, some that may, have been following my house progress, will I hope, remember, I have carpenters working and the painter. Now as my Wonderful wife has decided, to have all the Work done at once, I can't escape from dust and Fumes. ( Even sitting out on the terrace, I can smell the fumes and see/breath the dust. I certainly did not realise, that the fumes from the lacquer paint and thinners was that toxic. It would appear, that my movements and speech, gave those present, at Mamas, the impression, I was Drunk. Had my wife not been quick enough to realise, how the fumes, had affected me, I would have I think, not been believed, and spend the next 2/3 months living in shame and/or embarrassment :(

Has anyone else suffered, this Embarrassing Situation



JP (not Drunk, just an unhappy headache.)

 

Modern Paints do not (or should not) contain levels of lead which helps to apply and gain a better coverage of the paint, from what I understand a lot of Chinese Paint contains Lead, the fumes you smell is the thinners which quickly evaporate from the paint speeding up the drying time, and quiet frankly, CAN GET YOU HIGH AS A KITE!

When I was younger I NEVER wore a Mask in the Paint Booth and MAN did we get STONED from the fumes!! When we painted my old FX Holden Chrome Yellow, the Acrylic Paint contained 23.5% Lead! I was walking around feeling like I had 6 inch rubber soles on my shoes, my speech was so slurred as was the mates we had no idea what each was saying, then afterwards came the downer! A MASSIVE dull throbbing headache! It felt like someone had cracked my head open with an axe! Only MORE painful! O-|

What amazed me most, we had painted my FX Holden in October of '79 and in June of 1980 I had a bad Flu and I went to spit in the Bin when thick lump of Chrome Yellow Paint hit the deck in front of my feet! Round as a golf Ball and about 1cm thick of solid Yellow Paint! It had stayed in my lungs for around 8 months before I hocked it up, after that I realised and began wearing the proper safety gear, I realised just how much the dust and fumes were affecting me in the Panel Shop, Around 6 or so months after leaving my 7 day a week job, I realised just how much of my lungs had been clogged up in my time working as I could feel the difference being able to take long deep breaths where as before my breaths were short and shallow...

NOW would be the time I would be taking some leave Jack, those fumes are brain cell killers that in time if you are exposed daily to them will see you become very forgetful and; feeling as if you are drunk, not good mate... :(

 

errrrrr! sorry, Do I know you? Cos you seem to know me!


Jp :p

 

Over 40 years Painting & Decorating, and still going, well, er, em, slowwwwwwwwing doooowwwwwwwwwwwwn.

 

No offense mate, but I thought that was a natural speech pattern for Ozzies. Cause I know I can't understand Y'all O-xI

 

I understand that cups plates and bowels from china contain lead in the clear finish /glazing if we thought by not having lead in our fuel and lead water pipes we were safe think again,

 

My father had a problem with lead buildup in his system, he was a union construction painter and they used alot of red lead paint. The doctor said that it would not have been near as serious if he wasn't zinc deficient. The body needs metals and if it can't get harmless ones it will store whatever it can get. Copper isn't good for you either but it's not as soluable as lead. People still use leaded crystal decanters, you just don't fill them until shortly before you will be serving and empty them afterwards.

The worst thing I ever got in my lungs was iron dust, it gets in as far as it can and then it rusts and swells up. At least it breaks down in about 6 months and you don't feel like you have pneumonia anymore.

 

I actually fought before and after the introduction of Unleaded Fuel back in '86 citing many articles from Europe and America as to why Australia should NOT introduce unleaded fuel... I did once have an Angelfire (I think?) Web Page with all relevant information and links, including scientific proof that the majority of high lead levels found in Aussies was actually from the lead in the solder in our Gutters, Pipes, Water Tanks, the Paints we used on our Houses, food cans etc... But all fell upon the deaf ears of Government, and regardless of all of the information provided by so many who opposed the introduction of ULP, despite documentation showing the rising rates in Childhood Leukemia in Europe as well as other Cancers in the Countries that had introduced unleaded fuels... Even siding with environmentalists citing the fact that the aromatics in unleaded would do more harm to the Ozone layer due to their ability to rise higher into the atmosphere than the leaded pollutants, which often settled back onto suburbia and washed from the roof to the water tank to be drunk by us fell on deaf ears... Sometimes I question the sanity of those who enter Politics... :(

 

I found after leaving Panel Beating, grinding away at rusty metal, paint and sound deadeners most days, inhaling the filings and dust from plastic filler and fibreglass, the fumes from welding with Oxy using galvanised metal and burning materials surrounding the weld area, it took me quite a while before I could breathe in and actually feel a full lung capacity instead of what felt more like only having half my lung capacity.

The worst thing I can say I have ever inhaled would have to be Two Pack Paint! When I built the ex a Custom Car my mate did the final coats for me, I put on a Full Face Air mask to go in and inspect the finish of the paint, but because I had a beard it had trouble sealing correctly. The next day I began having problems breathing, then I noticed I had blisters all around my eye lids, nostrils and lips that were weeping and burnt like hell, for several months after I was sick as a dog! I thought I had pneumonia, I was prescribe Asthma puffers for the first time in my life, my eyes were playing up finding it hard to focus or read the text in magazines, then soon after; I had my first Flu Needle which nearly killed me! My lungs near collapsed, I could not breath properly, I could not speak a sentence without having to stop and gasp for air, whatever the combination was, I was advised never to have another Flu immunization Needle again or ever go near where two Pack Paint was being sprayed as I took an adverse reaction to one or both. I chose voluntarily, to end my career working on Cars after that as I decided I would rather live longer rather than keep working...