Re: A Handy Tip For Gorrilla Glue Users

[david zaret]

my father is also a chemist, and was just diagnosed with bladder cancer almost certainly from exposure to chemicals like acetone. i say protect yourself.

stoutman wrote:

[Lew Hodgett]

Ah yes, the voice of the seemingly indestructable macho male.

Lew

[Ba r r y]

A local chemist friend of mine constantly "jokes" about the life expectancy of chemists.

I wish you well.

Barry

[Andy Dingley]

Acetone is only flammable as heck.

Cyclohexane is flammable as hell.

I like acetone as a workshop solvent. Cheap, easily available, pokey enough to work, nothing like so hazardous as most of the alternatives.

[Andy Dingley]

I'm sorry to hear about your father, but "exposure to chemicals like acetone" is a long way from "exposure to acetone".

No one is disputing that there are some hazardous solvents in common use, or recently taken out of use. But acetone isn't one of them. As a chemist, he's certain to have been exposed to a wide range of solvents, nearly all far worse than acetone.

[George]

Sort of like me when I have to help in radiology. After 4800 hours in military aircraft alone, much less weapons preflights, who's to tell when I got the dose that'll kill me.

Now those nails places at the mall - there's a liability lawyer's dream. No more smoking, though....

[J. Clarke]

No, the voice of someone who can actually tell the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground.

Now let's see, his expertise comes from training as a chemist and long experience. Your expertise comes from?

You seem determined to scare yourself to death. I'm surprised that you are willing to use power tools. After all, that ozone that they produce will kill you.

[stoutman]

Just as long as non chemists. I use to work in the same lab as a retired professor. He was in his 80's and still doing research. Back when he was a 'young chemist' they didnt know what we know today about cancer. They use to use benznene as a 'common' solvent and they would get it all over themselves. He is doing just fine today. He still practices chemistry with much less care than I would. I use to catch him mouth pipetting chemicals all the time. That was a common practice in his day, but not done anymore. He is as a very healthy old guy.

[stoutman]

That was benzene not benznene. I just woke up...

[Larry Jaques]

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 06:21:43 GMT, the inscrutable david zaret spake:

He breathed in chemicals 8 hours per day for HOW many years before it happened?

Yes, be careful, not paranoid. Wear gloves and ventilate when using solvents. It's common sense.

-- Life's a Frisbee: When you die, your soul goes up on the roof. ----

Comprehensive Website Development

[Dave Hinz]

Good thing you didn't suggest ethanol - that stuff is _proven_ to cause liver problems in excessive quantities.

Exactly. Or the "it sounds similar, so it's equally hazardous" thinkers.

[Dave Hinz]

Do you have a calibration scale for this?

[Duane Bozarth]

...

Those would be the -thinkers, methinks... :(

[stoutman]

My expertise comes from several years of intustrial experience as a Ph.D. medicinal chemist.

I'm not the one thats scared of acetone. I'm trying to explain to these guys that acetone is not that toxic. Certaintly safe to use to get glue off your hands.

I work with methylene chloride, chloroform, hexanes, methanol etc. all Day Long.

Beleive me i'm healthy, I take precautions, and Im not scared. Especially not afraid to use acetone to get glue from my hands.

Take care.

[stoutman]

I sent out a response to this message thinking you were addressing me. But now I see you were not. The message still hasn't appeared in my server, but ...

[stoutman]

disregard my previous message. I thought you were addressing me.

Sorry

[Charley]

Yea, right! Mortician supplies are the LAST things that I'll have in stock around here.

Don't you guys have things to build, wood to cut, stains to apply? I've got plenty to do, so I'm outta here. Go swimming in acetone or formaldehyde for all I care.

[Dave Hinz]

Specifically, where does "flammable as all get-out" fit in the scale? I googled, but didn't find anything specifically about this.

[fredfighter]

I think the relevant scale is 'flashpoint'.

Like golf, a smaller number is 'flashier'.

[mp]

I got 4 of those Bessey clamps Lee Valley had on sale a while back.