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Not much help but I’ve worked in bike shops for 10 years and been shocked by the lack of concern around aerosol use / dust / ventilation and extraction / masks in workshops
Wouldn’t get away with it in a factory or on a building site
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One of the cancer doctors at the Christie was very concerned I was going to eat my lunch with my filthy hands and said he treats quite a few old car mechanics.
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I say if it’s concerning you then do something about it regardless of what everyone else is doing.
I find the flux I use for brazing with silver burns my nose (and I’ve had a few sinus infections which I attribute to this) so I now wear a respirator when working with it. I don’t think many other people do but I don’t care and my sinuses are thanking me.
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Definitely with you here. There’s no legitimate excuse for it but mechanics as a cohort aren’t organised or savvy enough to demand better, and businesses are happy to let them poison themselves if the timeline is long enough. -even park tool and other manufacturers are guilty of ignoring H&S, with instructional videos showing mechanics using their bare fingers to apply grease (contact dermatitis is a thing).
(Removed rant)
If you’re a fan of fighting sports, you’ll have heard the referee instruct fighters before the match to “protect yourself at all times”. It’s a rule that applies to most other areas of life, and even if it’s someone else’s job to look after your well-being, ultimately it’s up to each of us to protect ourselves first and foremost.
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Continued exposure to grease, lubricants and disc brake cleaner has caused one of my colleagues to develop contact dermatitis, so I think it’s definitely cause for concern being around chemicals all day.
Thankfully our workshop is well ventilated (stands are right next to the back door) and we now all wear gloves when working on bikes. If it’s worrying you then it’s definitely worth chatting to your employer/shop manager about - employers should be up for making some changes to keep you safe.
Having a supply of gloves (the Muc-Off ones are good) and a hot water tap to properly clean hands before eating is ideal!
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Yup defo valid, anything aerosol based is a potential issue, bad for your breathing and passageways, causes contact dermatitis and can cause allergies due to hypersensitivity down the line.
I've become severely allergic to latex and vinyl gloves after wearing them for so long. Also a popular pigment for black into cloths and gloves which is great when my favourite glove was black mambas!
So now i can only wear cotton gloves at work that are dipped in something on the outside too try and keep dirt out, however if i touch my face or any other skin with this dipped rubbery material I also get a skin reaction within a few a hours.
Like almost anything, if you are exposed to trace harsh chemicals on a regular though basis, you will develop a hypersensitivity to them.
Most bike workshops are pokey basements with no ventilation, no light and generally unpleasant all around,lots to be done to improve them for sure.
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@Arnomatic
Health concern ramble
Hello fellow mechanics. Maybe the wrong place to post this (let me know if a thread of this nature already exists), but after spending more time in the workshop recently I've been noticing mild changes in my respiratory health. Most notably a blocked nose (probable sinus infection) that won't budge a couple of times in the last month, but also dry skin in the nose (often feels like I'm alternating between the two extremes).
I work with a lot of old, dirty, dusty bikes. For freeing parts we use aerosol lubricants, strong degreasers and solvents to clean components, and plenty of different greases. All these products come with their own health warnings, often regarding respiratory and irritation risks, which makes a fairly clear case for them being the source of my woes.
The only thing stopping me from accepting that I should take more precaution* when working with bikes, is that I've not witnessed the same happen to any home or pro mechanic I've worked with. Gloves are rarely worn, masks even less so, and the majority of workshops I've seen are pokey and lack proper ventilation. Everyone seems relatively happy walking around in a GT85 fog, licking their grubby fingers after a mid-cassette-change monster munch.
Is everyone fine? Has anyone here experienced similar effects? Does anyone have any anecdotal warnings or insight that might confirm my suspicions? Thanks in advance!
*I will take more precaution, not every body reacts to external factors in the same way.