UTMC

So I've not really used this particular brand of carb cleaner before, until the other night.
I was working with the garage door fully open, spraying out some carbs, blasting out all the passages with a compressor. We all know that when you do that, the shit sprays everywhere and it's best if you have that spray pointing away from you, which I did. No mishaps were had.

The first thing I noticed was "Wow, this shit burns the fuck out of my hands." Of course, I noticed that when I was close to being done.
The next thing I noticed was that, when I woke up yesterday morning, it felt like I had smoked a fucking pack of cigarettes the night before. (I don't smoke, but I used to long ago.)
Seriously dude, the shit thrashed my lungs. It's not fucking around. They still don't feel right.

According to Merck,

B12 DEFICIENCY
Anemia develops, causing paleness, weakness, fatigue, and, if severe, shortness of breath and dizziness.

You didn't get enough.

Jerk.

...only apparently I didn't get the "No VOC" version shown in this pic!

Some of the chemicals we use are serious bad juju.
I'll search around for it, but there is another thread here about brake cleaner DISSOLVING YOUR BONES! While you are still alive. Really. REALLY BAD STUFF.

Phosgene gas? Something like that? Be careful.

Definitely not a phosgene, or the stuff wouldn't even be legal.
And there was no flame involved so nothing could have turned into that, either.
Oh, and I'm not in the hospital.

And yeah, rust remover, glass etcher, or any other product with Hydrofluoric Acid in it will dissolve your bones and give you the death. When the label on some shit says "wear gloves," it's not kidding.

EDIT: It's when you weld with brake cleaner present that you'll end up with phosgene. And then your life is fucked.

piccini9 wrote:Some of the chemicals we use are serious bad juju.

You ain't whistlin' Dixie...


A former coworker of mine died of cancer due to ingesting shop chemicals for so many years. He was only 55.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/art ... icle=30633

Yeah, I've been thinking about this kind of stuff a lot lately.
Not gonna stop wrenching, but I *am* going to be a little bit more careful about the shit I get all over me and (especially now) in my lungs.

I hope you're going to be all right.

Y'know, even the low VOC chemtool says "poison/skin irritant/vapor harmful", etc etc. As you found out, blasting things dry with compressed air is the most efficient way of dispersing chemical vapor there is in a garage short of huffing it out of a bag.

It's important to read the label nowadays, particularly if you handle this nasty stuff on a regular basis. Nobody will protect you but you.

On a related note, one of my coworkers at the dealership years ago lubed the automatic mouse belts with a syringe of factory spooge, as required. He then wiped his hands with a clean rag and got a smoke.

Shortly thereafter he was in the hospital for several weeks with "flu-like symptoms" that were not because of the flu. A tiny bit of the lubricant had transferred from his fingers to the Marlboro, and when it was burned and inhaled it poisoned the shit outta him.

Nevermind that half of the tube was covered by a big, boldfaced warning label about washing your hands thoroughly before smoking after using this stuff...

Yeah, I've blasted carbs out more times than I care to think about with nary a noticeable effect (which I'm not saying is a good thing, coz not-noticeable effects are just as bad for you). This is the first time where I actually felt like I just poisoned myself. My lungs still aren't all the way right (way better, but not normal yet).

I'm going to start being much more careful around chemicals in the garage. There are some things I *am* very cautious about with chemicals, but other things not so much. Obviously oil, gas, carb cleaner, contact cleaner, and brake cleaner have become things that I've grown complacent about, with the attitude that as long as the garage door is wide open, things will be fine.

Not anymore.

I once bought a gallon can of carb cleaner, the kind with the basket in it; you put whatever in the basket, lower it in and in a few minutes pull it out and it's so clean you can't believe it.

But it smelled really, really, really bad. I gave it to the guy down the street because I didn't want it near my house. What's more, when it no longer strips things, all the stuff is still in the can and there's no legal/practical way to dispose of it.

I've gassed myself before on carb cleaner. Felt weird, in not nice ways. Hope you're better.

Here ya go.
http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm