West System General Safety Guide

Working with epoxy can be highly rewarding, as well as safe. Serious health problems associated with epoxy use are uncommon. Most epoxy related health problems are minor, but they can cause discomfort and diminish the rewards of working with it. Fortunately, these problems are preventable.

As an epoxy user, you should be concerned about health and safety, and be well informed of the materials and products you use. This guide covers the health hazards of working with WEST SYSTEM epoxy, and some related shop hazards. More importantly, it offers common sense safety practices that will help prevent health problems and assure your long and productive use of epoxy.

Please read this entire guide. Read and follow all product label directions and warnings. Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for detailed product safety information.

Health & Safety Department: 989-684-7286 / Fax 989-684-1287
Email: safety@westsystem.com

Contents
Understanding Overexposure
Health Effects from Overexposure to Epoxy
How to Prevent Overexposure to Epoxy
Other Epoxy Related Hazards
Shop Hazards
Environmental Concerns
Summary

When we select raw ingredients for WEST SYSTEM epoxy products, we search for a balance between desired physical properties and lowest human and environmental health risks. Epoxy resins and hardeners are comprised of a number of chemical ingredients, of varying proportion and toxicity. Fortunately, they contain only a very small proportion of the more hazardous ingredients.

There is a safe exposure level for most substances. The more toxic the substance, the lower that level will be. Overexposure occurs when the safe exposure level is exceeded. When this happens, the substance can cause health problems. Your immune system and overall health can influence your tolerance of a substance.

Hazardous substances enter the body by skin absorption, inhalation or ingestion. The route for a particular substance depends on its physical characteristics and how it is normally used.

Epoxy Resins and Hardeners

The risk of exposure to resin, hardener and mixed epoxy is greatest when they are liquid. As epoxy cures, the chemical ingredients react to form a non-hazardous solid. As it solidifies, epoxy and its components are less likely to enter the body.

Skin contact is the most common means of exposure to resins and hardeners. Even minor skin contact, if repeated often enough, can cause chronic health problems. In rare cases, with prolonged or repeated contact, the skin can absorb harmful epoxy ingredients.

Exposure by inhaling vapors is unlikely, because epoxy products evaporate slowly. However, the risk increases when ventilation is inadequate or when the products are heated.

People rarely ingest epoxy, but it can happen when resin, hardener or mixed epoxy contaminates food, beverages or eating surfaces.

Partially Cured Epoxy Dust

Sanding partially cured epoxy produces airborne dust, which increases your risk of exposure by skin contact, inhaling or ingesting. Although epoxy is firm enough to sand within two hours, it may not cure completely for up to two weeks. Until then, the dust can contain unreacted hazardous components. Do not overlook or underestimate this hazard.

We have a long history of working with and around epoxies daily. As builders and epoxy manufacturers, we've had a much higher risk of exposure to epoxy than the average builder or casual epoxy user. Through our own experience, and the experience of other builders, we can estimate the likelihood of health problems from handling WEST SYSTEM resins and hardeners.

The following are the most common health problems stemming from epoxy use. Nearly all of us can prevent these problems. The majority of those who do develop a health problem can continue using epoxy with adequate precautions.

Dermatitis

Fewer than 10% of epoxy users react when overexposed to epoxy resin or hardener. The most common reaction is contact dermatitis, or skin inflammation. Both epoxy resin and hardener can cause acute contact dermatitis. Discomfort can be severe, but usually disappears after stopping contact with the irritant. Repeated skin contact with resins and hardeners may also cause chronic contact dermatitis, which is usually milder but longer lasting. If left untreated for long periods it can progress to eczema, a form of dermatitis that can include swelling, blisters and itching. Partially cured epoxy sanding dust, if allowed to settle on the skin, can also lead to contact dermatitis.

Allergic Dermatitis (Sensitization)

Allergic dermatitis is a more serious problem, but less than 2% of epoxy users are likely to get it. Allergic dermatitis is when the body hyperreacts to an allergen. Sensitization is the condition of being allergic to a substance. Your immune system and the degree and frequency of exposure to epoxy affects your chance of becoming sensitized. You are most susceptible if you have been grossly overexposed to epoxy or if you are inherently sensitized or allergic to a component of epoxy. You are also more susceptible if you have fair skin, if you've already been exposed to other sensitizing substances, or if you have hay fever, other allergies or are under stress.

You may become sensitized to epoxy after many exposures or just one. It could take ten days of exposure, a month, or even years. It is best to avoid all exposure because you cannot know ahead of time how much you can tolerate before you become allergic.

Allergic reactions to epoxy can result in irritated skin or respiratory problems. Irritated skin is by far the more common of the two. Usually, it appears much like a reaction to poison ivy and may include swelling, itching and red eyes. Just as with poison ivy, the irritation can be mild or severe, acute or chronic.

Inhaling concentrated epoxy vapors, if done frequently or for long periods, can irritate your respiratory tract. Exposing sensitive skin areas, like the eyelids, to highly concentrated epoxy vapors may cause itching and swelling.

See a physician if irritation persists or worsens after avoiding epoxy for several days. There is no specific antidote for epoxy sensitization, but symptoms can sometimes be treated with medicine.

Once sensitized, additional (and sometimes increasingly severe) reactions become likely upon future exposures, even to tiny amounts of epoxy. It is difficult, but not impossible to prevent recurrences. Resume epoxy use only after symptoms disappear, and strictly follow the recommended handling procedures to prevent exposure. Read the product's material safety data sheets (MSDS) so you can identify symptoms and employ preventive and first aid measures.

Severe Irritation and Chemical Burns

Hardener burns are uncommon. Mixed epoxy is unlikely to cause burns. By themselves, WEST SYSTEM and PRO-SET epoxy hardeners are moderately corrosive. If left in contact with the skin, they can severely irritate it and cause moderate chemical burns. Chemical burns develop gradually, and first cause irritation and slight pain. The burn may discolor and slightly scar the skin. The time it takes for a hardener to cause a chemical burn depends on the area of contact and hardener concentration. When resin and hardener are mixed, the hardener is diluted and therefore less corrosive. Although mixed epoxy is less corrosive, never leave it on your skin. It cures rapidly and is difficult to remove.

Respiratory Irritation

Breathing highly concentrated epoxy vapor can irritate the respiratory system and cause sensitization. At room temperature, epoxy vapors are unlikely to be highly concentrated. However, if you are already sensitized to epoxy, exposure to low concentrations of epoxy vapors can trigger an allergic reaction. At warmer temperatures and in unventilated spaces, the epoxy vapor levels increase.

Never breathe the sanding dust of partially cured epoxy. Epoxy chemicals remain reactive until they have cured. Serious health problems can result from sanding epoxy before it is fully cured. When you inhale these dust particles, they become trapped in the mucus lining of your respiratory system. The reactive material can cause severe respiratory irritation and/or respiratory allergies.

WEST SYSTEM fillers present few hazards by themselves. However, breathing any nuisance dust will worsen existing respiratory problems. Smokers and others whose lungs are under strain are far more likely to develop serious respiratory problems.

General Guidelines

You can prevent health problems from the start by limiting your exposure to hazardous materials. This means more than using respirators, goggles and protective clothing.

While the following guidelines are meant for an industrial setting, they can be an important guide for casual epoxy users. Consider the following steps to protect yourself from epoxy or any hazardous product.

Step 1  Make informed decisions about the products you use. Use the least hazardous product that will do the job. Often you can find a product with minimal health hazards that is adequate or even superior for the job. This can reduce or eliminate the hazard source.

Step 2  Set up a safe shop. Install equipment or use procedures that prevent or reduce exposure. This can include ventilation or specialized storage for hazardous materials. Effective ventilation can range from expensive, high-tech air-filtration and exhaust systems to the basic floor or window fans, and is useful for a wide range of vapors and dusts. A dedicated cabinet or isolated area for storing hazardous materials can help reduce exposure.

Step 3  Wear protective equipment (goggles, safety glasses, gloves, respirators, protective clothing, etc.) appropriate for the job at hand. The recommended minimum for most epoxy users is gloves, eye protection and protective clothing. Protect yourself from epoxy vapors by using a respirator with an organic vapor cartridge. The approved respiratory protection against epoxy dust, wood dust and nuisance dusts is a dust/mist mask or respirator.

Epoxy Resins and Hardeners

The government has not established exposure limits for WEST SYSTEM or PRO-SET epoxy products. We recommend limiting exposure to the levels approved for the raw materials used in formulating the product, as shown in the product's MSDS. Practices the following procedures for the safe use and handling of our epoxy products.

Avoid contact with resin, hardeners, mixed epoxy and sanding dust from partially cured epoxy. Wear protective gloves and clothing whenever you handle epoxies. Barrier skin creams provide added protection. If you do get resin, hardener or mixed epoxy on your skin, remove it as soon as possible. Resin is not water-soluble, use a waterless skin cleanser to remove resin or mixed epoxy from your skin. Hardener is water soluble, wash with soap and warm water to remove hardener or sanding dust from your skin. Always wash thoroughly with soap and warm water after using epoxy, removing amine blush or sanding epoxy. If you spill epoxy on your clothes, change them immediately. Use skin cleanser to remove any epoxy from you and your clothes. If you cannot completely remove it from your clothes, do not continue to wear them. If it is mixed epoxy, you may wear the clothes again once the epoxy has completely cured. Never use solvents to remove epoxy from your skin.

Stop using the product if you develop a reaction. Resume work only after the symptoms disappear, usually after several days. When you resume work, improve your safety precautions to prevent exposure to epoxy, its vapors and sanding dust. If problems persist, discontinue use and consult a physician.

Protect your eyes from contact with resin, hardeners, mixed epoxy, and sanding dust by wearing appropriate eye protection. If epoxy gets in your eyes, immediately flush them with water under low pressure for 15 minutes. If discomfort persists, seek medical attention.

Avoid breathing concentrated vapors and sanding dust. All of our epoxies have a low volatile organic content (VOC), but vapors can build up in unvented spaces. Provide ample ventilation when working with epoxy in confined spaces, such as boat interiors. When you can't adequately ventilate your workspace, wear an approved respirator with an organic vapor cartridge.

Provide ventilation and wear a dust/mist mask or respirator when sanding epoxy, especially partially cured epoxy. Breathing partially cured epoxy dust increases your risk of sensitization. Although epoxy cures quickly to a sandable solid, it may take over two weeks a