# Health issues with grinding bras, copper, aluminum



## [email protected] (Mar 28, 2007)

I had a disturbing visit with my MD today. Turns out that annoying cough I've had a couple of days, was probably due to belt sanding a very tiny amount off a piece of brass. Brass contains copper, which is evidently a strong lung irritant. Aluminum can also be a lung irritant, but not as severe as copper.

So those of you using a dremel, belt sander, or bench grinder in your basement (or God(s) forbid your kitchen) might want to adjourn to a more ventilated location. I was working in a garage with the doors open, figuring that was ventilated enough. I almost always wear a filter mask while sanding, but blew it off this one time. Big mistake. I never had any symptoms when sanding aluminum (when I usually wore a mask), but a couple of hours after sanding a tiny bit of brass began having a nasty cough. This made me really question how well ventilated my garage is.

The lesson I learned is to get a dust collection system going, one with a HEPA filter. And run a fan while sanding or grinding. Better yet, just sand stuff outside. In a strong wind if possible.

Symptoms to watch out for: shortness of breath, persistent cough, eye pain, and then really fun stuff like kidney failure, chronic lung problems, etc. By the time you get to the later symptoms you are pretty well f*cked!

My doc thinks I'll get over this just fine. But please learn from my mistake.

Mark

PS damn! no way to edit typo in title, I meant brass, not bras (though fun to grind).


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## boyfromthelak (Feb 16, 2004)

i personally have never had any health problmes from grinding bras well except 9 months later.


on a serious note when i go outside to grind my brothers seat post in a little bit i'll do it outside the garage


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## il2mb (Jan 27, 2005)

Very good point that hasn't been brought up before. Fine metal dust is a serious irritant to the respiratory passages. Wear a face mask if you are going to be doing a lot of sanding.



Be thankful it wasn't metallic beryllium.


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## Baulz (Sep 16, 2005)

I had to trim a piece of carbon fiber on the belt sander the other night, decided I could get by without the dust mask.

Bad idea. 

It's always a good idea to wear an apron of some kind to keep the bits of metal out of your clothes too.


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## .40AET (Jun 7, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up. I never thought that the metal particles would get airborn enough to be inhaled. I'll be hanging the dust mask on the belt sander for now on.


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## Hack On Wheels (Apr 29, 2006)

Wow, this makes me very thankful that I went for a mask for my mouth and nose when I was working on my housing the other week. Yikes! Thanks for sharing, this is a very worthwhile topic to bring up.


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## mofoki (Feb 1, 2005)

You all sound like a bunch of women.


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## Psycho Mike (Apr 2, 2006)

Actually, not just a dust mask....the size of particles needs something in a HEPA/P100 range...that's more a half mask respirator type of situation.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Good point. Inhaling and inadvertently swallowing heavy metal particles can also cause some significant long-term health issues down the road.


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2008)

Oooops no wonder I feel like crap. I need a bigger house.


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## crux (Jan 10, 2004)

Bit off topic of grinding metal, but equally as important for those who care about their health.

Cutting, grinding on carbon can be very harmful to your lungs as well.


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## [email protected] (Mar 28, 2007)

Dweeby,

If you really feel bad, go see a doc. Aluminum kind of builds up in internal organs until they suddenly have problems. It would suck to find your lungs not working one morning.

Dude you need to start working out of doors. Or at least get a fan to start sucking dust out your kitchen window. Though getting aluminum and other metals on your food and utensils probably isn't really good for you. And spraying aluminum dust all over your neighborhood isn't really nice to do.

I'm looking at using a HEPA filter in my shop-vac, sucking in all the dust I can right by my belt sander, and running the exhaust from the vac out my garage window (just in case the filter lets something thru). Anybody have any other better ideas?

Mark


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## 02Slayer (Mar 5, 2004)

I wonder if cutting aluminum using a hack saw produces this kind of dangerous exposure too.
I bought a metal cutting blade for my dremmell and a 10 inch blade for my power mitre saw. I used them both a couple times and felt like I detected some wierd fumes. I decided to go old school after that and use the hack saw only.


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## [email protected] (Mar 28, 2007)

O2Slayer,

My understanding is that sawing, or milling, or lathing aluminum with a non-abrasive tool (a hacksaw blade is non-abrasive) will not produce dust. When I took metal shop class 20 years ago, they didn't seem too concerned about it. But that was a while ago, so I might not be remembering that they stressed you should have a really nice dust collection systems when cutting metal.

With some metals, if you cut too fast, you may produce fumes, which are bad. But aluminum has such a high melting temperature, you are unlikely to encounter this.

Of course I thought I knew what I was doing when I used a belt sander in my garage. So don't believe me, look into it for yourself. A mask, safety glasses, and decent ventilation are probably all really good ideas. I don't want to be an alarmist, but some metals can really f*ck you up. Beryllium can screw up your lungs permanently. And beryllium is found in some types of aluminum. Since some aluminum alloys are made with recycled aluminum ... well you don't always know what you're inhaling. Now I've heard that beryllium mixed with other metals isn't that big of a health concern ... but I wouldn't want to count on that.

And Dweeby, don't do metal fabrication in your kitchen.

Mark


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## Inchigh (Nov 20, 2007)

the human body contrasts of all elements, and an influx of certain elements will be disguarded due to it's complexed evolution........mild encouters with a certain elements does not cause harm unless its regarded as toxic and contained in mass doses..................one thing i have seen with worry, is cutting tool coolents. Its been linked to testiclar cancer.


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

Why would you put your testicles in cutting tool coolant - that would cause shrinkage!

Seriously though, nothing wrong with wearing a filter when grinding / sanding.



Inchigh said:


> the human body contrasts of all elements, and an influx of certain elements will be disguarded due to it's complexed evolution........mild encouters with a certain elements does not cause harm unless its regarded as toxic and contained in mass doses..................one thing i have seen with worry, is cutting tool coolents. Its been linked to testiclar cancer.


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## Inchigh (Nov 20, 2007)

006_007 said:


> Why would you put your testicles in cutting tool coolant - that would cause shrinkage!
> 
> Seriously though, nothing wrong with wearing a filter when grinding / sanding.


if you was cutting a high carbon steel, and was to place thys testees in the coolant......we are talking fried babies before ones shot a glimer of life.

and back to the serious note.............nowt wrong with has much ppe as the company provides, and that is normaly limited............due to the fact, that if you cut high carbon ones normaly regarded as a number, not a profit.


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