Reprinted the ACJ - February, 1993
"Good morning class! Today instead of the usual gym class we have Mr. Dave Brown of Johnson Manufacturing Company here to talk to you about an important subject—personal hygiene."
Normally this would be followed by a discussion of how to prevent head lice and how puberty affects your body and the special considerations for bathing. But since we are all well beyond that point (physically anyway), I will concentrate on hygiene as it relates to the chemicals around the radiator shop.
Many materials are used around a radiator shop and a lot of us don't pay 100 percent attention to what we handle. I will admit I am as guilty as the rest when it comes to intermittent contact. You can deceive yourself by saying "I'm not actually working with the stuff, I just picked up that tool or part for a minute." Then I wipe my hands on a rag and go on. The problem is that the crud from that piece is still on my hands and may be there for some time.
AVOID FALSE SECURITY
The obvious reason for keeping clean around the shop is to avoid contamination from the chemicals you use every day. Everyday use is the culprit. It means two things: repeated contacts and complacency about dangerous chemicals.
Chemicals get into your body by three routes of entry—inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption. Masks, ventilation and common sense will keep you from inhaling or eating a nasty substance directly. Good hygienic practices
will reduce your skin exposure and contamination via that route. Chemicals that get on your hands may or may not be absorbed directly into your body through the skin. But that doesn't mean they won't find some other sneaky way to poison you.
HAND-TO-MOUTH
A great deal of the lead people are exposed to gets into their body by being transferred from their hands to their mouth. Smoking cigarettes or eating after getting lead or other chemicals on your hands allows the substance to get easily ingested.
Leaving the shop with chemicals on yourself or clothing puts you at risk of contaminating your house, or worse yet, your children and spouse. That is why OSHA-regulated shops must supply uniforms that are kept on site and why the agency requires employees to shower before heading home. Keeping clean is the easiest way to keep healthy when it comes to lead as well as other chemicals.
SKIN PROTECTION
Few of the chemicals around a radiator shop are absorbed directly through your skin. The lead additive in leaded gasoline is one of them. Use caution not to soak your hands in gas while draining gas tanks or thinning paint.
Although skin absorption is not a big concern, chemical contact with your skin can cause its share of surface problems. Corrosive materials will burn skin if they are caustic enough. These, as well as other solvents, will pull the oil or fatty material out of your skin, causing dryness. If exposure is repeated or prolonged, rashes or even ulceration is possible.
LIKE MAGIC
Certain amine compounds commonly found in organic fluxes can cause sensitization. If you, like me, have ever had a bad case of poison ivy, you know that whenever you are anywhere near poison ivy after that exposure, your skin breaks out. I've developed a nasty rash just watching a PBS special on plants.
Amines can cause the same problem. You accidently spill some on your arm and don't wash it off immediately. The next time someone starts soldering with the flux. Presto! The fumes cause the rash to reappear.
Hygiene is so important in our business because of two main concerns—the effect of "acute" (immediate) versus "chronic" (long-term) exposures.
Acids and caustics will burn your skin the instant they contact it. That immediate harm is due to an acute exposure and is fairly obvious.
Most chemicals are much more sneaky than that. Over a period of time they cause damage to our bodies. Repeating an exposure day-in and day-
out over months or years can cause the chemical to chip away at our skin or other organs.
Worse yet, they can build up in our kidneys or harm our nervous system, causing any number of terrible problems as we get older. Father Time causes enough problems with our bodies—we don't need to add fuel to the fire. The common sense conclusion: Limit the number of acute exposures to head off any chronic problems down the road.
GOLDEN GLOVES
Keep your gloves clean and in good condition. Change them periodically and never put your hands in them when your hands are dirty. This is an easily overlooked route of repeated exposure.
Also, tool handles should be kept clean and never open a door with dirty gloves. Unlike venereal diseases, chemicals can be transferred by doorknobs. Change your clothes if you spill on them. They can act as a sponge against your skin.
It is difficult to stop and wash every time you accidently spill something on yourself. But if you realize the amount of time you spend working with these substances over your career, good personal hygiene makes as much sense as respirators, ventilation and blood lead monitoring. Stay healthy; keep it clean.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825