[Amps] Cleaning Stuff

[Will Matney]

All,

I never will forget the first day on the job at ACF Industries as an industrial electrician. They built covered hopper cars there for the railroad. We had to change the plate safety glass in the florescent lights for the prime booth. Just before that position was where they did the spray in lining for those covered hopper cars, and they used MEK.  I mean they had several skids of the stuff there in gallon cans ready to use, they used so much. The day shift had just ended on a summer day, and it was hot also. While on a ladder taking the glass out, the fumes from that MEK, and assorted other chemicals really got to me where I almost passed out on that ladder. Matter of fact, I had to climb down, squat in the floor, and put my head between my knees trying to keep awake. After that, I never did care to work in the paint shed (paint shop slang they used) again. Luckily, my boss really hired me to work on welding machines, CNC burners, etc. Over that, I got to stay mostly in the steel fab areas. Thing is, I know I breathed a lot of iron dust along with chemicals off the smoke from welding wire and rods there too. MEK and some other solvents are some bad stuff. The professional painters there used masks and some still complained about the fumes. Cancer is one of the biggest concerns here, along with damage to other organs.

Best,

Will

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 3/17/06 at 10:35 AM Rich wrote:

>After reading the many posts about cleaning solvents may I say please be
>careful no mater what you use. The company I worked for used the
>tri-clor in large vapor degreasers, we cleaned the aircraft skins for
>testing in a mixture of toluene, MEK and acetone. Working on our hand
>and knees breathing in the fumes. Cleaning rubber pads with the same
>then bonding them on the aircraft with an adhesive that has solvent
>bearing fumes. Used Mozel to clean solder joints, did silver solder with
>cadmium in it. We had no easy to get information like today's MSD
>Sheets. Many people like, my self, got cancer. I did it but would never
>let my children or grandchildren use the same things.
> 
>Rich , kd0zz
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