Motorsport Composite Fundamentals: Respirators
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Respirators
04.47
| 00:00 | Respiratory damage is another health risk that often goes unnoticed until it's too late. |
| 00:05 | The symptoms might not be immediately obvious, like cutting your hand with a sharp tool, but years down the track they can become far more serious. |
| 00:13 | Again, this is a risk when working with the resins during construction, but also being around dust and airborne particles thrown up when cutting and working with cured parts. |
| 00:23 | As we touched on earlier, many resins contain VOCs or volatile organic compounds. |
| 00:30 | Put simply, these are compounds with high vapor pressure, essentially meaning they emit gas at room temperature. |
| 00:36 | Besides the nasty odor that will likely cause headaches at the very least, inhaling these gases or fumes can cause irritations to our respiratory system. |
| 00:46 | That's the nose, mouth, throat, voice box, windpipe and lungs. |
| 00:50 | The level of irritation will vary depending on the chemicals we're using, the exposure levels and time, and the sensitivity of the individual person. |
| 00:59 | The symptoms could range from needing to clear your throat, to requiring urgent medical attention. |
| 01:05 | Some VOCs are not acutely toxic, but will lead to long-term health issues, while others, particularly those in epoxy resins, can be poisonous. |
| 01:14 | Styrene is the key concern in the chemicals we'll be using, and this is a naturally occurring compound in many of the foods we eat, and our body is able to process it. |
| 01:24 | However, not in the quantities we'll likely be exposed to during composite construction. |
| 01:29 | The fact is, exposure to these VOCs is never harmless, so it's absolutely critical that we always wear respiratory protection when working with resins. |
| 01:38 | While the resins that are marketed as low in VOCs can significantly reduce the health risks, we'd still recommend erring on the side of caution, and getting into the habit of wearing respiratory protection regardless. |
| 01:50 | As we mentioned, the other situation where we need to be cautious is when cutting or working with cured parts, due to the airborne dust that will inevitably end up breathing in. |
| 02:00 | It's the same old story here, this can lead to irritation in our respiratory tract, and over time lead to some very serious health issues, permanently damaging our throat and lungs. |
| 02:10 | So, what are these forms of respiratory protection that we keep mentioning to prevent these nasty side effects? While the loose-fitting medical face masks we've all become so familiar with over the recent years can be useful if someone sneezes on us, they're just not effective enough for composite work. |
| 02:27 | At a minimum, we should be using what's called an FPR, or filtering face piece respirator. |
| 02:33 | These are disposable masks that fit snugly and seal against our face, usually with a deformable bridge over the nose to help here. |
| 02:40 | Depending on where you are in the world, these are named for their specification. |
| 02:44 | For example, N95 is the common spec used in North America for protection against mechanically and thermally generated particles, and filters 95% of airborne particles. |
| 02:56 | Whereas here in Australasia, we commonly see P1, P2 and P3 used. |
| 03:01 | P1 filters only protect against mechanically generated particles, and have the lowest filter rate at about 80% of airborne particles. |
| 03:10 | We'd recommend taking a step up to a P2 mask, which includes thermally generated particles and has a filter rate of 95%, so it's comparable to N95. |
| 03:21 | P3 is a step up at 99.95% and is usually in the form of a reusable mask that we'll discuss in just a moment. |
| 03:28 | The disposable masks can be valved for added comfort and effectiveness. |
| 03:33 | Past these is an elastomeric respirator. |
| 03:36 | These are reusable rubber-based masks with valves and filters which offer protection from fumes and airborne particles, typically rated by the same P2 and P3 specs that we just discussed. |
| 03:48 | These do come at an extra expense, however, if we're using them regularly, this is justified due to their reusable nature. |
| 03:54 | These are available as half masks that cover our mouth and nose, or fill masks that cover our eyes and most of our face, handy if we also need eye protection. |
| 04:04 | There are also much more expensive powered systems available, but unless you're doing this work every day, this is probably going to be overkill. |
| 04:13 | So, let's summarize what we've just covered on our respiratory PPE. |
| 04:17 | Gas and fumes emitted from resin, as well as dust from working with cured products, can be extremely harmful if inhaled. |
| 04:24 | The typical causes are an irritated respiratory system and headaches, but the real underlying risk that can be harder to notice initially is the long-term permanent damage. |
| 04:34 | To protect ourselves, we should be using an N95, P2 or P3 mask at a minimum, or more ideally, a reusable and high-quality respirator. |
