Thread: This is why you want to use breathing masks

Today I was using my dremel on my next razor in order to shape it. Not removing chunks of metal, just finetuning with flapwheels and sanding drums.
I couldn't see anything flying away except there was a lot of sparkling underneath my working light.

After an hour or 2, my breathing mask looked as shown in the pic below.
Remember guys and gals: anytime you use a powertool to sand, grind, buf, or otherwise send micro debris flying, you want to be wearing that mask. Getting that stuff in your lungs is not good for you. This is what made grinders drop dead at 30 - 40 in the 19th century.

I agree with you 100%. I was just hand sanding for @ 2 hours and after I blew my nose, I'll be wearing a mask from now on.

I've actually got a degree in this stuff (literally). And yet, seeing is still believing. I have a respirator, and didn't want to mess with it for about a half hour of hand sanding some Paduak (sp?) wood.

Figured it was hand sanding, wouldn't be doing it long, the whole "dose determines the poison" blah blah.

My nose burned for the next 24 hours. Won't be doing that again.


Using ANY power tool basically guarantees ANY substance will go airbone.

anytime I sand anything (but especially wood) I wear a mask.
It doesn't bother me, and the consequences of not doing it can be very annoying at least.

One thing I always wonder is what are the consequences of all the dust and debris laying around the shop or place where you work after you're done sanding or grinding. Unless you use the vacuum 24/7 and have a few dust collectors that crap isn't going anywhere.

Yes, wearing a mask is extremely important when working your tools but one cannot walk around with a mask all day even when all the dust has settled down. And we're still breathing in that crap, maybe not in the same amount, but nonetheless.

It reminds me of smoking. Although I don't smoke I can still get cancer from breathing in other people's smoke.

Also safety glasses are highly recommended. If it will hurt your lungs it will probably hurt your eyes as well.

Soilarch what is your degree in?

Dustmask - buy one or be one...

Maximilian - Well, if we're sticking with the smoking example, how about this as far as determining your risk.

The smog you are exposed to just from living in a moderately populated city is WAY more likely to give you lung cancer than second hand smoke.

And given the average person's risk of getting lung cancer from living in a moderately populated city is so low it's almost funny, I would say you're fine.

The second hand smoke thing always cracked me up, long before I ever smoked. It's a social campaign, not a health one. And a very damaging and divisive social campaign at that which has in fact served to make smoking more appealing.



Sorry. As you were saying, though. I reckon there's a period of time it takes for a given particle to no longer be airborne. What that time is though probably depends on the substance.

At that point I would think it would be reasonably safe. After all, we're breathing in particles of whatever all the time. It's the dose that matters.

I wear UVEX Glasses their polycarbonate, and very clear well fitting. This a good post I always notice the debris all over my glasses, and shirt. esp from polishing.

cheers
David

If you do a lot of woodworking you should mask up also. It is very wise to use a high volume dust collection system also. A lot of the exotic woods are very toxic and cause types of cancer if one is exposed for prolonged periods of time. I just recently bought a dust collector system that I put the main motor and bag outside my shop so that not even the 2 micron particles are not in my breathing space. It has helped tremendously.

Later,
Richard