Papa Tom

I don't want to get preachy here, but I notice that a lot of bike mechanics lean toward some heavy chemicals for certain tasks.

Recently, I walked into work and immediately noticed that a new cleaner had been used on the floors and desks. I won't mention the name, but it's a very popular consumer brand that everyone seems to love because of its strong, "clean" scent. About half an hour later, I became dizzy and lethargic, but I assumed it was a cold or allergy attack coming on. I went home that day and went to sleep at about 5pm.

The same thing went on for three more days in a row until, one day, I suddenly fell to my knees and could not get up for quite a while. I went home that day and started researching possible reactions to the new cleaner in our building and read on a consumer warning site that possible side effects of using this product are "dizziness and drowsiness." Later that night, thinking I could "fake" my way back to normal, I took my wife to the movies. When the movie ended, I could not get up from my seat, as it felt the whole room was swaying. When I did finally get upright, I instantly fell against a wall.

To make a long story short, I have been out of work for two weeks now, unable to maintain my balance long enough to walk across a room for most of this time. The cleaning product has been removed from the building and I have since read or heard numerous accounts of others having the same reaction to this product. Further, I have spent a lot of my down-time reading about the toxicity of the many products I have used over the years to clean and lubricate certain bike parts and I feel like I can never go back to doing things the same old way again.

As I said earlier, I don't want to get preachy, but if you're hot and heavy into wrenching your own bike, please be mindful of what you and your family are breathing. Even if you do not experience instant symptoms like I did, the cumulative effects of these chemicals on your body can be devastating. Keep in mind, there are always safer alternatives. My recovery is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks.

AnkleWork

You've thrown many different products under the bus there. What's the harm in mentioning specifics if it is just a personal opinion or a fact of experience?

Grand Bois

Why won't you tell us the name of the product?

dr_lha

This thread reminds me of the evening news: "This product in your house could kill you... after the break".

So what product was it, and was it likely something that I'd use on a bike?

BTW sorry to hear about your issues.

ThermionicScott 

Yikes, hope you are fully recovered soon.

JohnDThompson 

Here's a scary one:

Safety Alert! Brake Cleaner = Phosgene Gas - BREW Bikes LLC

Matariki

I understand, sort of, why you are hesitant to name the product, but perhaps you would be willing to share the list of ingredients. You should be able to find them on the label or the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which you can get on the manufacturer's website. Thanks.

AnkleWork

Yeah, that's a good one which has f-all to do with this thread. A "professional" welder not using a respirator, and carelessly disregarding label warnings. I bet he hasn't been (and won't be) a welder for long.
At least it is only an anecdote like the first post.

Willbird

There was an OSHA guy into a shop where I worked, I had to wear a sound exposure meter for about an hour in my normal work area. He said he himself was very wary of having any more cleaning stuff around the house, he said he had a few, but did not "collect" them because he has kids. Said a door to door sales guy showed up one day trying to sell something, told him "oh it's perfectly SAFE"....so he told him "OK....lets see you DRINK some then, right now, here is a glass, drink some".....he said the guy left in a huff hehe.

Bill

FBinNY 

Nothing is safe. Just about everything has some degree of toxicity, and will be safe if used properly, and exposure is kept within acceptable levels.

Divers are reminded of the dangers of very safe stuff, when conditions change. Nitrogen which is inert (in our bodies) will make you drunk and/or cause hallucinations at depth (pressure). Oxygen, which is safe and necessary for life on the surface, will cause brain seizures and lung damage at depth. These are simple examples of how safe stuff becomes unsafe under certain conditions.

Likewise with all the "safe" household and industrial chemicals. Warnings of flammability, or the need to have proper ventilation, or the need not to heat or combine with other common chemicals are serious and meant to be heeded. Unfortunately (IMO) we are bombarded with "WARNING" messages, and conditioned to take them lightly by the sheer number and in some cases the nonsense.

I sometimes wonder if we need another warning "WARNING, the warning and safety info below isn't just legal boilerplate. It's a serious reminder that this product can present serious dangers if not used as intended".

I'm surprised that a product that is rated for household use can cause the OP's reaction, and am curious as to whether anybody else in the workplace was similarly affected. OTOH- sensitivity to various chemicals varies tremendously person to person, so it's possible that something that didn't have an affect on 50 exposed people, did for one.

fietsbob

Winter mechanical projects with solvents,
in poorly ventilated -to stay Warm when it's cold out, rooms,
is also a potential problem to bear in mind.

AnkleWork

Finally someone begins to connect the logic dots. One hopes the OP was checked for TIA and other physiological issues.

Willbird

Some things once you have an issue with exposure, a reaction, you are somehow sensitized, so a much lower concentration might in the future cause a reaction in YOU, but maybe not in other people, Polyester resins can be this way...and even CO (Carbon Monoxide), the resin it is an allergic reaction....the CO might just be that the body has learned to warn the person sooner they are being exposed ?

Bill

rootboy 

" Life 'll kill ya. That's what I said. "

W. Zevon

rootboy 

On a more serious note, we're pretty sure Pine-sol had a strong negative affect on our animal. She's closer to the floor than we are of course. Point being, I don't trust the safety of anything with man made chemicals in it. But use them with care anyway.

Hope your exposure doesn't permanently affect you, OP.

79pmooney

I worked with polyester resins and acetone for 6 years in the early '80s. I'll pay for that the rest of my life. I now am very sensitive to cigaretted, diesel fumes and many common solvents. Many perfumes are an issue for me. Hair salons aren't much better than fiberglass shops. I used to work in a shipyard that built steel barges. Not a lot of solvents until they were painted. But if one came into our building, I would feel it before I could smell it. At first I was poo-pooed when I said something was open, but when I started coming back with the containers, I got the nickname "canary".

Ben

79pmooney

Pine-Sol is bad stuff. My wife loved it. I would have to open everything up just to come in after she had been using it.

Ben aka "the canary"

Papa Tom

From the OP:

1) I have not mentioned the product because I cannot be 100% certain it was the cause. Nobody else who works in the building all day long had a similar reaction. Since it is a public building, I cannot be sure if any of the people who attend workshops there may have experienced this.
2) Because this is a Town building, I cannot step forward and claim that any person or any thing might be at fault until I know who supplied the cleaner, if it was approved for use by the Town, etc. Trust me on this one. I've worked for the Town long enough to know how these things work
3) I was checked for a TIA and other possible causes. In fact, I'm STILL taking tests, but nobody seems to know what the hell happened. Every care provider I have been to, traditional medical or alternative, agrees that chemical exposure can certainly trigger this type of reaction.
4) Regardless of how it came off, this post was not intended to be about me and my dizziness. It's just a warning to the rest of you about all these damned chemicals we play around with. They can certainly sneak up on you out of nowhere and, as I'm learning, the effect doesn't go away anywhere near as quickly as it came.

PS: Check out Willbird's post on Simple Green elsewhere on this forum.

rootboy 

Good points, P Tom. I guess. But frankly, I don't see your mentioning here the name of the product in any way a conflict with the "TOWN".
Unless you're fraid of getting sued or fired or something. Not likely. But then, it does look like you've used a photo of yourself as your avatar. And while I can appreciate a general warning on the hazzards of chemicals, without the product name this post is kind of , um, pointless....if you'll excuse me.

AnkleWork

Yeah, it's a great warning. Here's another: you be safe out there!

JohnDThompson 

<plonk>...

Papa Tom

Again, this thread is not about me or about the cleaner that was being used. In fact, there's no reason at all to use this particular cleaner in bicycle wrenching. I'm trying to make the point that some of this crap we use on our bikes shouldn't be used haphazardly. That's all.

And yes, I am trying to avoid being sued/fired -- and yes, I spell Town with a capital "T" because I am referring to a specific town.

Enough on this topic now. I'm taking my ball and going home.

corrado33

Guys. Chemist here. There are many household chemicals that can be quite dangerous, but chemicals in themselves are not inherently dangerous. It's when you mix them that they can be dangerous. The "man-made" chemical statement from above is a bit ridiculous. Almost every single chemical we can think of has been man made. Man made chemicals are no more dangerous than chemicals that come from nature, in fact, they're identical. You can't get more identical than with chemicals.

Yes, chlorinated brake clean and welding is a bad idea, as someone mentioned above.

Don't be afraid of chemicals. Without chemicals, you'd be dead.

xiaoman1 

+1 I hope you get better, the heads up would be great. so give us a hint... say it sounds like .... rhymes with etc.
Regards, Ben

md11mx

#1 hope Papa Tom you get thru this OK.
#2 you are correct voicing this.
#3 generally speaking people do NOT read MSDS sheets.
#4 looks like a workman comp claim to me.
#5 do you all know how much of the reason that a lot of our manufacturing has left our country is because things have been outright outlawed?
Cheers,
David in Alaska