Reprinted from the ACJ - July, 1993
"I can paint that radiator for $99.95." Actually, I could paint it for $49.95 but the extra cost covers my NIOSH-approved paint booth, hazardous waste disposal costs, OSHA-approved respirators, my VOC fee, the Clean Air Act compliance, my training videos and the solvent recovery cost. On second thought, take the radiator unpainted and I'll give you $49.95.
Sound familiar? Solvent-based radiator paints are getting a bad name, but not because they don't work well. They remain a practical product for painting radiators. It's just that the regulations being enacted to prevent solvents from polluting our environment are making these paints, at a minimum, very costly and at worst, illegal.
What is it that makes these products so nasty? The health aspects, as we will discuss, are only part of the problem. The environmental concerns are the real culprit.
Some of the solvents in these paints are thought to contribute to acid rain, smog and the greenhouse effect. What amount they contribute to these problems is open for debate. That is where we will leave that aspect, as a subject of debate. Our focus will be on a somewhat more substantiated topic: the health and safety concerns of solvent-based paint use.
Chemically, these paints are not that terrible. They are hazardous but not that severe. They are skin and eye irritants. A select few are absorbed through the skin, but we know that use of impermeable gloves will control that. They are mildly toxic by ingestion, but I think the funny looks you will get with a black tongue and not so pearly white teeth may be incentive enough not to drink it.
Inhalation of paint fumes would have to loom largest when discussing the chemical hazards of these paints. The danger of excessive fume inhalation is twofold. On one hand, the fumes are rapidly absorbed through the lungs and into the blood, resulting in a feeling of intoxication followed by the loss of precious brain cells. I have less than I need as it is, so use of a half-mask respirator fitted with a paint cartridge and/or the practice of painting in a vented booth make excellent sense.
The second hazard associated with paint fumes is caused by the solvents filling up the air space and pushing the oxygen out. Some of the dizzy feeling you might experience when breathing fumes is due to this lack of oxygen. In a closed room, this problem can lead to loss of consciousness and eventually death due to asphyxiation. Thus the "use in a well ventilated area" warning on almost all paints. Continual exposure to excessive fumes can lead to liver and/or central nervous system damage.
The discussion of asphyxiation brings to mind a rather bizarre hazard associated with a sealing type of paint and extreme skin contact. Remember the scene in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" where that beautiful woman is found dead, completely covered in gold paint? The paint had sealed the pores in her skin and caused her to asphyxiate.
Sure she looked like a million bucks, but it took the insurance policy to get the money. I know I'm way out in left field on this one, but the point is as user-friendly and non-menacing paint seems, it is still a hazardous substance and should be treated as such.
A side note on thinning solvent based paint: Use of gasoline as a thinner multiplies these hazards tenfold. Use a leaded gasoline, which usually contains tetraethyl lead, a chemical absorbed through the skin, and lead poisoning joins the list of hazards. So be sure to use an approved paint thinner just to be on the safe side.
All this discussion and we haven't even touched on the main hazard associated with solvent-based paints: fire and explosion. Any time a flammable solvent is present in an oxygen-rich environment, a fire hazard exists. The fact that the paint is usually sprayed, thus introducing tiny particles of solvent into the air, adds to the danger. All it needs to become a fire ball is an ignition source.
Leaving aside the obvious sources such as torches and cigarettes, keep an eye out for other ignition sources such as electrical circuits. Switching on a light may be enough. Starting a car in a fume-filled area can provide the spark.
Always paint in a well ventilated separate area with explosion-proof electrical service. A sneaky source of spark is static electricity—especially in low humidity. The friction of the paint leaving the nozzle can set up a static charge. Corduroy pants rubbing together at the thighs is another, though less attractive, static source. Touch another metal part and a spark could occur. It is an excellent idea to ground the equipment and radiator in your paint booth to avoid this.
In summary, many agencies are setting up controls and regulations governing the use of solvent-based paints. We can't really control this, but we can control our own behavior in the shop. Set up some rules and constraints governing safety in the shop while using the paint.
Gloves, respirators, paint booths with filtering and venting apparatus, cleanliness, and static control are necessary. Trying to avoid the tar and feathering of yourself or fellow employees with the paint is a good idea. Another easy safety step: Get rid of those corduroy pants. They're out of style anyway.
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