# detoxifing



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

I don't yet have a real feel for this forum. Whether it is big or small...or styles of painters aroudn who use the board.

I wanted to have conversation with anyone who maybe thinking along the same lines as myself in regards to spending a considerable amount of time in this field of work.

My parent is lying in bed with terminal pancreatic and liver cancer. He was given the death sentence of 3-6 more months.

He is has survived prostate and larynx cancer years ago.

This got me REALLY thinking about even everyday latex painting.

I have started drinking everyday a glass bottle of Kombucha. I have tried three flavors and the best yet is called Trilogy. Ancient chinese elixhir...many purposes.

I am really hoping to clean up the organs a bit and detoxify. And seriously am looking for a way into something else career wise.

I can't worry myself senseless, but I have painted since 1990, and ahve spent years using oils....and any other related stinks.

I do realize that we all die someday. But I would prefer to jump out of an airplane and not have the shoot open as to lay around for months in pain and nausea, depression , and dropping weight at an unbelievable rate, as all of my organs slowly shut down.

Respirators, chemical gloves....really are bandaids...unless you are an automotive painter and are decked out with the face masks.......and the ability to change out cartriges frequently.....OR work for a company that offers amazing health benefits...what about the shot of a little quick dry primer spray X hours Xyears= serious health risks.

who else here considers the major risk of serious illness/brain damage?

And we can always go for a lighter conversation about the body parts wearing out from climbing ladder, upturned head, vertebral issues.

and all the younger, fresher painters here that may pass this thread reading.....go more green for yourself.

I hope I get some good sharing/feedback from others.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

Not going to give up any Sikkens products, anytime soon, though!!!


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Sorry about your Dad I dread the day I lose mine.


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Me to brother, always hard to go through something like that. Being poisoned every day is something I think about.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

My dad was not a painter. He did spend alot of time refinishing furniture in a garage for many years...never used a mask...gloves.....

I will say that he drank alot of pepsi, and had a pretty shabby diet, which could be a contributor.

I thank you for your sympathy. I was not so close to my dad, but he is my dad and I am around WV living now again, near him. It is sad to see anyone suffer. It is a tough time to go see him every few days. Thank god, there are six other siblings that can see him too, besides me.
I still love him and hope he does not have alot of pain that pancreatic cancer is associated with---now and then he has some, but so far so good in the pain.


Do you think of these things as a painter?

I think it has finally made its way in to my daily thinking after a long time of really not caring...or thinking it was any big deal to be around chemicals all day......


----------



## CliffK (Dec 21, 2010)

sagebrush123 said:


> My dad was not a painter. He did spend alot of time refinishing furniture in a garage for many years...never used a mask...gloves.....
> 
> I will say that he drank alot of pepsi, and had a pretty shabby diet, which could be a contributor.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear about your dad. I lost mine 8 years ago to lung cancer. He was a smoker and a painter for 50+ years. I am actually more concerned about the crap we did 30 years ago than what we go through everyday these days. It was a lot more toxic back then and we really never thought about it at the time. Looking back it was pretty stupid, but there wasn't really an awareness then as there is today. I can remember guys soaking their arms in paint thinner to clean up all the oil based paint from the day and nobody wore a mask. The long term physical effects of working as a painter can not be overlooked either. Herniated discs, messed up rotator cuffs and worn out knees. Not to mention the stresses that can go along with running your own show. Can't turn back the clock, just try to take good care of yourself each day going forward ,be as careful as you can, make sure you fund some sort of retirement plan & hope for the best. :thumbsup:


----------



## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

To be honest, No I don't think about them. I am lucky to have lived this long. 

Racing on two wheels, not knowing how I got home some nights. Hit by cars 3 different times, been buried up to my chin, then almost having my legs ripped off when they dug me out, surfing in two different hurricanes, land speed racing (again on two wheels), rolling a car 3 times and walking away (no seat belt either), I could go on. 

Nope, am lucky to be alive now and have had more fun and adventure than most. 

I also live an almost totally boring life now. (and there are a few things that hurt everyday)

Lost my mother to cancer. She was kinda young. I really do feel your pain.


----------



## Harry (Aug 4, 2008)

I am sorry to hear about your dad. I lost my mom and dad at young ages, it's no picnic.


If you think about it...very few people on earth die a peaceful death, it usually ends in agony of some sort.

Only good thing is...it's the last lousy thing we'll have to do...


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Back in the 70's when I was painting cars as a hobby, then side money, and finally a body shop, I disciplined myself into using respirators, protective clothing, etc..  There are some things we have control over that we are exposed to, and I took advantage of all I could.

There are medical tests that can determine if your body has higher than normal results from exposure, unfortunately they cost major bucks. But it all depends on where you want to invest your money, I guess. Always figured if I wasn't well enough to work, or alive for that matter, I couldn't produce an income.


----------



## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

Yeah, this (like all trades) is a tough job. I try to stick with "less toxic" materials, switch cartridges/filters and such. Despite all this I have had chronic sinus issues(which sometimes lead to growths, benign and not so). Sometimes the hazards from painting are not actually the chemicals. These days, irritants in general may be much more to blame for health problems. Drywall/J.C dust is probably the worst. The problems associated with such tiny particles in your lungs permanently are bad.
That being said, I have been flushing my sinuses after work with a product from NeilMed. Its a salt/bicabonate water mix in a squeeze bottle. 10 bucks at the drugstore. Cheap and effective. My Doctor says he uses it to flush bacteria and viruses. Thats great, but I like getting human dander from floors and carpet, drywall dust and that film of propellant and other schmeg out of my head.


----------



## SterlingPainting (Jan 3, 2010)

I think about it alot too. Sorry bout your parent, thats hard. My dad's 67 and I think about it every day now when..how, etc. Its messed up.

I started using zero VOC paints a while back, but I dont know how much of a difference that really makes. I also always use a mask when I spray now..the first 5 years of painting I didnt take hardly any precautions though. It prolly has had some effect, I get tired alot, and forget stuff sometimes, but that might be normal, no way of knowing. 

anyways, keep the paint on the wall and out of your lungs/eyes/brain!


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

Everyone who is responding to my original post-thanks so much. It was really touching to read.

Everyday that goes by-things with him change so quickly. I won't inundate people with grim details...I will pass along to think daily about your professional choices in the long run, and reaching out to everyone you love, or try to love, or want to love. Whether it is your parent, child, neighbor in the paint forum....

My plan today is to take some stems from a red bud tree...it is one of the first loud and beautiful signs of spring in WV, to my dad and hopefully he recognizes that.


----------



## bigjeffie61520 (Oct 3, 2009)

thanks for keeping us thinking sage


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

hey big jeffie

thanks for making me think too. I have barly browsed this forum, but nonetheless, have read some profound painting insights, seen pictures that are so beautifully painted and painstakingly laboured at.....I am moved and thrilled to trample here with my thoughts, and woos, and questions.

I, have been a successful painter. My definition of success = that every time I have painted, I have created soemthing that people are happy with or are more than happy with, and for the most part, I am happy to...because I like to do a super job.

On the flip side, as I browse about, I get a tad bit sad and disappointed with my lack of financial success, business savvy, and a PLAN of action for retirement and good health benefits. I have allowed myself alot of work freedoms, coming and goings...days off....lack of responsibility in paying some of my taxes...i.e. tax liens...blah blah.

I smile when I see trucks that are clean(and dirty). I see success in ways in other people and I am happy for their success. I am proud to know a skill that I do good with and care about everyday. I have never had a business card and NEVER needed one. I smile in thinking that many companies here PLAY the game CORRECTLY and manage SUCCESS!


I have taken the red bud tree branches to my dad. For him it is a sure sign of spring. Today, I moved his lawn and it brought me joy because I knew he could hear the mower, and he liked doing the grass. I hold his hand and listen to his frustration and he takes my hand and takes effort to kiss it. and this is sweet. 

Everyday NOW...I try making better choices. He drank alot of soda(pepsi) and I try not to drink more than two a week. I drink water more with lemon. I try taking alot of probiotics and am working at starting a detox for the liver and any other organ than may be saturated in a non healthy way.

I repeat, I have been a painter since 1990. I had a slow year at work the time I had a child, that first year, Other than that......I have worked in a this toxic profession. I AM concerned over this. I know where and what I have been doing over this time frame. I know I have engaged in years of wearing a dust mask as a respirator when blowing fog coats.....or spending years painting a high percentage of jobs in oil and thinner....and not having a respirator on.....sanding drywall patches, or sanding bondo....sanding period.....not utilizing appropriate protection....
days.....using lacquer thinner to clean up other painters messes..like overspray.....having hammer head headaches.
...........

do YOU wonder about spending the day in a house rolling latex and it is cold outside and the doors are closed up and you smell paint ALL day long....and do this for 40 hours a week? I just did all last week. Latex-but I am still concerned because paint stinks.

MY POINT IS.........it is probably a good idea to talk to other professionals and take and give feedback. Who thinks they take care of themselves and how they go about this?

RIGHT here, RIGHT NOW....



. I am going to be spending the rest of this time as a painter.......looking into the best, green and great performing materials. Making conscious choice to eat a better diet. I want organic food, as much as possible.

Slowly stop the coffee....why would I bath my organs in coffee? Because it is a stimulant that I have allowed my body to get addicted to......and it is NOT healthy. slowly.....every little day...a small step. because I can control that much. Fresh, clean water........
and this too is contaminated unless you are filtering it and storing it in BPA free plastics.......
we are all going to die and I am stil gonna eat pie......but have YOU noticed that cancer is pretty common today? gee, do ya think it might come from chemicals in food, water and jobs?

ok

peaceful


----------



## ORTIZ (Mar 16, 2011)

yeah thanks for that thought.


----------



## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

I hear you Sage. I feel the same way about a lot of that stuff. One can ignore it, saying "plaster dust/lacquer thinner is fine!" or one can do something about it, like trying to be healthy and happy. Life is short.


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Sage,

Much of health and resistance to environmental poisons are heredity and even luck.

My father passed at age 95 (six weeks prior to his 96th), He wasn't exposed to many poisons, but when younger would paint the wooden boats we owned, which meant sanding the highly toxic paint off the bottoms. He was not an over active man, yet was not also a slug. He was a desk jockey and did not participate in sports (well, he did golf after retirement). He quit smoking in 1942 and drank about three cocktails a night. His mother also lived to her mid-90's and smoked - perhaps only three a day as she aged. 

My mother just turned 90 and she looks like she'll reach 93 anyway - knowing her, she'll out live the rest of us. Her mother only lived to 80 - and took REAL care of herself. Active, non-drinker, non-smoker. 

I quit painting about 20 years ago. One of the main reasons was what my body felt. I experienced high lead levels at one time. When I quit I was kidney pains, headaches, and a metallic taste in my mouth. I built up a allergy to solvent based paints. You're right, filter masks are not 100% effective. Supplied air respirators are the only sure protection. 

I look around, yet I see few OLD painters. Makes one wonder. I am sure the new waterbornes will beat up the body less, and the awareness we all have now about pollutants and using protection will help. But then again, you could be living a pure and clean life and the nuke plant down the street could blow. Just how much control has the cosmos given us?


----------



## TheRogueBristle (Mar 19, 2010)

daArch said:


> Just how much control has the cosmos given us?


I think that is the main point. Take care of yourself in the ways that you can, so at least you can have the assurance that you tried. You know, don't bee too lazy to go downstairs to get your dustmask if you need it, crack a window while using stinky paint, wear gloves when handling solvents, etc. We all know what the precautions are, but I would venture to say all of us who do this regularly, at at one point or another, have sacrificed those precautions for ease, efficiency, whatever excuses we give ourselves. I know it's the hardest part for me, I don't always care or try enough to protect myself from things that I know are harmful, preferring to take my chances rather than take the safe route. 

But the fact of the matter is that I do have control over much of what I am exposed to. As much as I may fell locked into my profession, there are always options, even if it's going off the grid and becoming a vegetable farmer. And on that note I CAN eat organic food, use metal or glass water bottles, not smoke (I do), not drink (I do), choose not to put chemical leeching carpet in my house, choose not to use "body cleansers" that leave you more dirty with chemicals than before you used them, etc. 

Good thread Sage, and something we should all think about. Definitely not easy in our trade to limit exposure, but if we're not at least exercising our right to control the things we can, then where are we?


----------



## sage (Apr 29, 2007)

Well said Rogue.

This is a thought provoking thread on 2 points, hazards of the trade and family dynamics. 
Sagebrush made a comment about his relationship with his Dad. Family members can be a tough bunch, they can be too demanding, too lovey dovey, too unemotional, cast emotional scars that may last a lifetime; not always the "Bever Clever" family dynamics. So as Rogue said in reference to the trade it may be applied to our relationships as well... "We need to take care of ourselves in the ways that we can, and take solace in the thought that we did what we could" i.e....mowing the grass for an aling Dad, bringing him a branch with the first signs of spring. 
Mine was telling my Dad I'd stay( I lived 2000 miles away) and look after him after his surgery, it was the very last thing I said to him, he died that very night.
Sage


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

The reason for the the concern originally is my NOW increasing concern after being a painter for so long. I think I have been cautious all along, but really just how much...and then the recent issue with the my dad and his two organ cancer........so genetics scares the heck out of me. He is 4X with cancer. First prostate, second larynx and third and fourth pancrease and liver...which are terminal. He is not able to keep anything down and is not interested in food or drink. 

The sentiment about your own dad and staying there after his surgery,I am sure was a comfort thought to him, that you were willing to be there. 

Today:
There was a laborer doing the cleaning of the drywall dust. He had asked me for a dust mask and I do keep the right kind with me, so I could give him one.( Also for clarification purposes-he is not my laborer) The GC came in about an hour later and handed me some homeowner dust mask for dust, pollen, etc. and it was not the approved OSHA kind for silica/drywall dust. Maybe he did not realize what he had purchased-or maybe he is in the $ trance of just seeing the sticker price without really investigating what is best for the user. My general feeling is this......the cost of an appropriate dust mask is far from expensive....and when you look at a profession in a cumulative sense...everyday activites count. 

With myself included with this statement, I think that we are in a trance running so quickly everyday without really complete awareness of the truth behind the labels and the MSDS info. 

And, damnit daArch-you might be one lucky fellow with not only some boating ownership, but some rockin' DNA. How did you know about the lead? My moms mom died in her sleep-so she left peacefully at 84, and her side of the family has better genetics. 


and just for the record-I am a 41yr old woman, and I am working fervently at being happy and healthy. I would like to do some mineral analysis of hair and saliva samples and am lookinginto this...


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

sagebrush,

I knew what we were dealing with and so I had myself and my partner tested. We were HIGH. After that, I had every hiree tested BEFORE he or she started working for me. 

Yes I was born lucky. My dad was a great sailor and was able to afford some small boats - afforded because he did the work on them. 

and for the record, I guessed you were a lady painter, by your writing. That's a GOOD thing. We are testosterone overweighted here :thumbup:

OH, and please, call me Bill


----------



## CliffK (Dec 21, 2010)

sagebrush123 said:


> With myself included with this statement, I think that we are in a trance running so quickly everyday without really complete awareness of the truth behind the labels and the MSDS info.
> 
> I think you hit the nail on the head sagebrush. So focused on the task at hand and completing it efficiently and successfully that we end up "giving up the body" a little in the process. I know I am guilty myself. Sometimes I think some of the younger "guys" think they are indestructible and some of the veterans are in denial, but most of it I think is just what you said. I know my father a life long painter died of lung cancer(a smoker also), I don't think I ever saw him wear a mask except for maybe spraying an attic or something crazy like that.
> Maybe it will be a little side effect of all this RRP stuff, besides helping awareness and protecting some homeowners and their children from lead, it will make the mechanics and workers a little more conscious and aware of poisons and pollutants in general and might make them take to few extra minutes to go to the truck and get the mask or put on the gloves.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

I have relished the responses. What I am concerned about is that with all these topics, it will be very time consuming to read and input. I enjoy reading here, I enjoy so far and have learned enough that I am happy to have found this site. OR maybe someone has posted something and I miss the post or overlook.
I also have not a very good filing system or system of organization...so at times I maybe overlooking or loosing something in translation.
I am happy to be able to post and have people be able to relate or respond. I don't ever expect to have complete agreement on any topic, but I have participated for years at a different forum and felt very novice and could not even make a real start a something I felt interested in(yoga)...this must make me a painter at heart. More confirmation came-as if I doubted how I have spent so many years in this trade and been fairly at peace with my profession....the confirmation came from visiting another state and stopping in the paint store and it too feels like home.

My dad passed away this morning. He died from cancers. I share this not because I need something from any reader, but that I would share that i feel this to be a significant turning point or rite-of-passage. Alot of what I think borders on my quality of life thoughts or lack thereof, healthcare, and my profession.



Today, I started to spray out with new filters(3m 6000series)and prefilters, and could still get smell and taste or the gardz and 123.( Havn't done alot of daily spraying since I left CA). I pulled both straps tight. I have bought mostly the 3M because of typical availability. Have used Binks in the past and liked them better and may look into them again...whereever they are sold..if they still are producing them OR in general reading more about respirators. Not going to turn into a freak of worry just an informed person....and learning HERE is what I am expecting so saddle up, all you knowledgeable folks.

anyway I wish too condense some of my spaghetti thinking into simple thoughts. what needs to be said, shared and learned.

happy to balance the testosterone although, I am around that sometimes ALL day, too..........................hhhhmmmmm.

Cliff, thanks for sharing. I know a man now-my brothers father in law. He is battling lung cancer. He was a non-smoker, however he was a home builder for his profession and had lots of exposure of the construction industry. adn the thing is there is no proof probably of what was the biggest contributor of your dads issues...painting vs. smoking.


----------



## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

You have my sympathy Sagebrush. I enjoy your posts, nice to have a little more estrogen around here!

You might look into getting your respirator fit tested, check thru your local Workers Comp or OHSA office.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

this forum, you people, 

where have you been my entire career?


where is the love icon? 


I am sad-about my dad. at this same time I have taken a big bite of 3500 sq NC....and I am reeling in surface area.

I have a real deep sense of connection happening with my siblings, so I can see alot of positiveness with this whole experience. I have a big family and we are not connected-so much...but it feels tighter, and lighter.

thanks for sentiments


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

hey RCP

could I not fit test myself...do you think osha would have to get involved?


----------



## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

sagebrush123 said:


> hey RCP
> 
> could I not fit test myself...do you think osha would have to get involved?


No, but it is required by OHSA if you require your employees to wear them, certain types and restrictions apply.

But you can use this as a guide and do it yourself.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

thanks,
I will read thru


----------



## sage (Apr 29, 2007)

Sagebrush,
My condolences to you and your family.
Sage


----------



## George Z (Apr 15, 2007)

sagebrush123 said:


> I have relished the responses. What I am concerned about is that with all these topics, it will be very time consuming to read and input. I enjoy reading here, I enjoy so far and have learned enough that I am happy to have found this site. OR maybe someone has posted something and I miss the post or overlook.
> I also have not a very good filing system or system of organization...so at times I maybe overlooking or loosing something in translation.
> I am happy to be able to post and have people be able to relate or respond. I don't ever expect to have complete agreement on any topic, but I have participated for years at a different forum and felt very novice and could not even make a real start a something I felt interested in(yoga)...this must make me a painter at heart. More confirmation came-as if I doubted how I have spent so many years in this trade and been fairly at peace with my profession....the confirmation came from visiting another state and stopping in the paint store and it too feels like home.
> 
> ...


I read all these posts with care.
Lots of love from Toronto. Keep it up.
F--k testosterone, a woman can be so appropriate.
Here is from Pablo Neruda:
_It so happens I’m tired of being a man._
_It so happens I enter clothes shops and theaters,_
_withered, impenetrable, like a swan made of felt_
_sailing the water of ashes and origins._
_......................................................................_
_I don’t want to be so much misfortune,_
_I don’t want to go on as a root or a tomb,_
_a subterranean tunnel, just a cellar of death,_
_frozen, dying in pain._
_I pass by calmly, with eyes and shoes,_
_with anger, oblivion,_
_........................................................................_
_........pass by, cross through offices, orthopedic stores,_
_and yards where clothes hang down from wires:_
_underpants, towels and shirts weeping_
_slow guilty tears._
-Pablo Neruda​


----------



## TheRogueBristle (Mar 19, 2010)

So sorry to hear of your father's passing, Sagebrush. Take care of yourself.


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

sagebrush,

My condolences also. I was not real close to my dad either. Love and respect and all that, but still there was that little distance, it's the way we are, both of us - we were more alike that either would admit 

Relish and adopt what he did well, improve upon that which was not perfect. Ultimately a parent is the teacher and the child the student. Hold his life forever in your memory, and both of your lives will be fulfilled.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

thanks so much for the condolences..it seems not so appropriate to be here reading and responding about painting profession..but I guess that is how I keep at bay alot of feeling and emotion. I am angry and sad and tired.....and really I don't know what I think of the death we will all have to face....and this is not a spiritual forum so to speak.....

and this week-yesterday as I am trying to achieve my week goal of getting this house completely primed/sealed...my sprayer goes kaput.....

not so funny in the moment, but now it is just a problem to be solved and getting creative with how to spend my time in a huge house without a sprayer....

how about picking a bathroom color? or painting the garage by brush and roll...out of logical sequence...but what to do while the Titan gets a repacking.....

I do appreciate the sentiments, kind words, poems, thoughts, thanks so much. you guys/gals are really thoughtful and sweet, and I need some friends to bounce off some thoughts.


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

All of the posts have me thinking and Bill- I am reeling in your passage of "holding his life in my memory and both of our lives will be fulfilled".....this is uncanny and with this thought it is my intentions to live or strive to have greater quality of life.

thanks to all.


----------



## charlottepainters (Feb 22, 2011)

I always eat healthy and take supplements to improve my health. When working in a field like painting you should always wear the required protection: respirators, dust masks, goggles and skin protection like gloves when handling solvents.

Most guys painting or remodeling act as if they're too tough to use these precautions. I've heard things as a teen starting out like: "stop being such a punk kid I've been doing this for 20 years and I'm fine".....Yes he was fine until Lung cancer killed him 4 years later and he never smoked a cigarette in his life......

I make my crews protect their health and require every man to carry purchase his own supplies or he won't work. We also protect our customers by using the proper methods to prevent dust, overspray and chemical exposure to them or their pets. It costs money to buy Zipwalls and hire a cleaning crew to make sure when you leave your customer is safe but we do it when required and it brings us more business.

A little prevention goes a long way....Ask the guy who is dying of cancer from paint chemical exposure if he would change the way he worked and see what he says.

charlotte nc painters | mooresville nc painting company | kannapolis painting contractor | concord nc painting company | huntersville nc painters


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

sagebrush123 said:


> and Bill- I am reeling in your passage of "holding his life in my memory and both of our lives will be fulfilled".....this is uncanny and with this thought it is my intentions to live or strive to have greater quality of life.


just passing on a little truth I've learned :thumbsup:

Hope it helps


----------



## redpet (Apr 8, 2011)

Hi this is my first Post. Great to find this site. Nick


----------



## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

*Solvent-induced Neurotoxicity*

Reproduced with permission from Safeguard magazine.​Aucklander David Duke used to leave work in a state of bliss. He’d walk from work to the bus stop marvelling at the trees and the sky and the clouds, feeling wonderful.
Duke was stoned. Not on illicit drugs or alcohol, but on the solvent vapours he was breathing in the course of his work as a screen printer.
These days Duke suffers from such crippling headaches it takes him 20 minutes to psych himself up to lift his head off the pillow. His partner Helen talks of his “wicked” mood swings - affectionate one moment, then threatening to pack his bags and leave the next. Minor irritations provoke unwarranted reactions. Duke himself believes his violent mood swings have cost him several relationships over the years.
His memory is affected too. He forgets what he was about to say or what he went into a room to get. He’ll come off the phone only to forget who he was just speaking to. In recent months he’s noticed himself becoming clumsy and uncoordinated at work, dropping things and struggling with small tasks like fitting the ink knife into the rim of the tin.
For the 14 years of his career as a screen printer, Duke has been exposed to a daily cocktail of solvents, often in factories with little or no ventilation, with little or inadequate personal protection (like the household rubber gloves which disintegrated on impact with the chemicals).
Not that he had any idea that the chemicals so integral to his trade may have been compromising his health, other than a vague feeling that “this stuff stinks and it’s making me spin out.”
Now it appears likely that those chemicals will cost him his trade. He has suspected solvent-induced neurotoxicity, a condition brought on by years of cumulative exposure to organic solvents. His GP has told him he looks like a textbook case, and he has recently been put through a raft of neuropsychological tests to assess such functions as short-term memory, reaction time, attention span and ability to learn new material, which will help determine with reasonable certainty whether his ill-health is indeed a result of solvent-induced neurotoxicity.









*A rising epidemic*

It’s been estimated that 100,000 New Zealand workers are regularly exposed to organic solvents in the course of their work.
Few industries are entirely free of these extraordinarily useful chemicals. They are used in a diverse range of industries, including boatbuilding, joinery, shoemaking, dry cleaning, painting and plastics. They are used to thin, dissolve and clean a wide range of other substances, such as oils, fats, resins and paints. They are present in paints and paint strippers, glues, inks, dyes, textiles, agricultural products and pharmaceuticals.
Many are highly volatile, evaporating readily at room temperature. Many are highly toxic, and can enter the human body both through the lungs and the skin.
The head of Worksafe Australia’s professional education programme, Professor Wai-on Phoon, recently predicted an epidemic of solvent-induced illness of similar proportions to OOS and asbestos-related diseases.
That prediction may sound sensationalist, but it is a fact nonetheless that workers in New Zealand are falling ill as a result of years of solvent exposure. OSH’s Notifiable Occupational Disease (NODS) Register has the case notes of 222 workers with suspected solvent-induced neurotoxicity. Of these, 157 have been referred to a specialist OSH panel for review. So far, 42 of the 157 have been confirmed as having chronic solvent-induced neurotoxicity.
The list of 42 includes eight printers, three boat builders and two dry cleaners, as well as paint retailers, a chemical worker, an aircraft maintenance worker, a sailmaker, a shoemaker, a vinyl layer, a scotchguard applicator, and a caretaker. Nineteen of the 42 are from the panelbeating and spray painting industry - by far the largest single group on the list.
All of the workers affected have been exposed to organic solvents for several years. The average length of exposure is 18 years, and although the range is from four to 35 years, only four workers have had exposure history of less than nine years. Forty of the workers are men and two are women.
All 42 have been diagnosed according to an international classification system as having Type 2B neurotoxicity. What this means in plain language is that they not only have overt symptoms such as fatigue, irritability and mood swings, but also impaired brain functioning as measured by neuropsychological testing. They will have memory, concentration and coordination difficulties, and their ability to learn new material will be damaged.
If the international research is any guide, some of them will not recover, even after their exposure to solvents ceases.
As with many occupational disorders, these symptoms are often invisible to all but those closest to the victim. The worker isn’t physically maimed, there are no scars or artificial limbs or wheelchairs to underscore the physician’s diagnosis. It’s tempting to write off the victim of neurotoxicity as a mere malingerer.
But that cynical conclusion ignores the intensity and pervasiveness of the symptoms. Stress may make even the best of us tired and grumpy and irritable with the kids, but once the stress comes off we’re OK again.
Not so the sufferer of neurotoxicity, who will experience a long-term deterioration that attacks the quality of life and relationships, and undermines the ability to cope with stress.​








*Devastating symptoms*

Dr Evan Dryson, OSH Northern Region medical officer and chair of the specialist panel reviewing the neurotoxicity cases referred to in the NODS Register, says the symptoms can be devastating to the lives of sufferers. “Loss of memory, mood changes, in-coordination, inability to plan - these are caused by diffuse injury to the brain and they are intensely disabling and destructive to people’s lives.”
They are insidious symptoms that creep up slowly on the victim, with the worker often totally unaware that his or her exposure to solvents may be the cause.
The onset of chronic neurotoxicity is described as follows. “Initially the symptoms may disappear over weekends and holidays, but over a period encompassing years they will become chronic. In the end they will typically be perceived by the individual as a fundamental change in personality.
“Patients will complain about their inability to work, to participate in social activities, to function sexually and to manage relationships. They do not remember what to bring or where to go. They stop participating in organised activities and playing music or cards or doing any other hobby they used to like and in which they may have been skilful. In many cases they are accompanied to the physician by a spouse because they have severe memory deficiencies and because they are afraid.” [Source: Rosenstock L and Cullen M (eds). Textbook of Clinical Occupational and Environmental Medicine. W.B.Saunders & Co, 1994, p.774]
Dryson says marriage breakup appears to be more common among suffers, though there are no figures to confirm that. However, Dr Jenni Ogden of Auckland University’s Department of Psychology has observed that many workers suffering from neurotoxicity seek help only in response to a crisis at work or in their marriage arising from their changed personality, extreme fatigue and memory problems, rather than from any specific concern about the effects of the solvents they are working with.
In many cases workers have already been prescribed anti-depressants or sleeping pills by GPs who’ve failed to make the link with the workplace. Some swallow multi-vitamins in the hope they will act as a pick-me-up. Safeguard was even told of one factory where workers were taking anti-histamines to help them breathe in the solvent-laden air, but which were then making them fall asleep on the job.
Because of the insidious nature of the symptoms and lack of awareness among workers, Dryson believes the cases reported to the NODS represent just the tip of a much larger iceberg, and that there are many more workers with neurotoxicity who have not been identified.​








*Levels of exposure*

So what of the workplaces that these 42 confirmed cases of neurotoxicity have come from? As part of the process of reviewing each case, OSH hygienists made an assessment of the level of exposure to which the worker had been subjected. In many cases this was based largely on an interview with the worker; in some cases historical data measuring the level of solvent fumes in the atmosphere was available.
The conclusion drawn was that the workers had not been employed in Dickensian sweatshops. In the case of the 19 spraypainters - by far the most significant group on the list - Dryson describes their workplaces as “pretty much typical of New Zealand spray paint shops.”
Set against the Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) - the guidelines published by OSH aimed at defining the limits for airborne substances in the workplace - Dryson says the levels of solvent exposure were “not excessive”. He says the panel started out with the expectation that sufferers would be from workplaces with exceptionally high levels of exposure, but by and large workplaces are not exceeding the WES. “In our opinion people are being affected in New Zealand at levels below the WES.”
It is impossible to rule out the possibility that the workers were affected as a result of much higher levels of exposure in previous years, when less was known about the damaging effects of solvents. But equally likely is that the sum total of their exposure over many years has resulted in their condition.
Dryson’s view that workers are being affected at levels below the WES has major implications for employers who see the WES as a near dividing line between safe and unsafe practice.
It also gives renewed fuel to the view within OSH that the significance of the WES should be toned down and employers encouraged to aim for the absolute goals of elimination, isolation and minimisation of the hazard.
“The aim has to be to get the lowest possible level of exposure,” says OSH senior occupational hygienist Andrea Eng. “Theoretically the only safe level of exposure is no exposure, because the WES may protect the majority of people but they won’t protect everybody.”
Despite the confirmation of 42 cases of neurotoxicity now in front of OSH, there is no suggestion of any employers being prosecuted. Ironically, because of the inherent difficulties of proving an absolute causal link between the chemical exposure and the eventual ill-health, OSH operations manager Geoff Wilson believes the WES would be taken as the standard in any potential prosecution.
The other inherent difficulty in prosecuting such cases is the gradual onset of neurotoxicity, with workers likely to have been exposed in a number of workplaces. In such instances, which particular employer could be held culpable?
The 42 workers registered with the NODS represent relatively advanced cases of neurotoxicity. Below that level again are workers who display less severe symptoms and who are likely to fully recover when they leave the job or strictly control their exposure.
Christchurch occupational physician and OSH medical adviser Dr Bill Glass sees many such cases. These are the workers who may experience a range of overt symptoms such as moodiness, feelings of intoxication at the end of the day, tiredness, diminished work performance, and intolerance to alcohol, but whose condition is not considered chronic and who often recover over the weekends and holidays.
It’s impossible to know how many such cases come to light each year. Although ACC accepts chemical poisoning claims on their merits, it has no statistical category for solvent-induced neurotoxicity and was unable to provide Safeguard with a figure.
Glass says that while in such cases there may be no long-term damage done, the impact on the worker and his family while they are experiencing the symptoms can nevertheless be disastrous. He likens the effect on family and work to alcoholism - “except solvents are more toxic”.
He says the families of such workers, who have to come to live with the bad tempers and irritability of their husbands and fathers, sometimes comment on the radical improvement once the worker leaves the job or retires.​








*Worker understanding ‘almost non-existent’*

Despite the mounting evidence in recent years of the health risk posed by solvents, Ron Halewood, health coordinator for the Printing, Packaging and Media union, believes worker understanding of solvents is still “almost non-existent”.
Workers commonly have no knowledge of the chemical makeup of the solvents they work with every day, identifying only with the trade name of the product. Employers’ knowledge isn’t much better, and the situation is made worse by the fact that management of health and safety in many workplaces is “fragile”, with inadequate support and training given to health and safety representatives.
“Workers have a notion that chemicals endanger their health,” says Engineers Union health and safety coordinator Hazel Armstrong, “but they don’t specifically know how, or what quantities or length of duration they would have to be exposed. And very few employers go that next step to monitoring the air quality and then getting that information to staff.
“The majority of workers that I come across are aware that there is a fume or a dust in the air, but they don’t know exactly what is the component of that fume and nor, upon enquiry, does the employer.” She says in the absence of any regular monitoring of exposure levels, “the reality is that we don’t actually know what’s going on.” Regular monitoring, she believes, should be mandatory, and more effort made to ensure material safety data sheets are both available and understandable to workers.
She notes there has never been a prosecution in the area of chemical poisoning, and says until there is, the general statutory requirements such as the provision of ventilation and clean air will be “meaningless”.
Armstrong says to a large extent the problem of solvent-related illness has been concealed from unions because workers often don’t see the link between their ill-health and the workplace. “Because it’s crept up on them slowly they don’t see it as a union issue.”
The macho Kiwi male syndrome may also have a lot to answer for. David Duke talks of a “she’ll be right” attitude during his years as a screenprinter. Anyone who complained of the fumes or the chemical smell was labelled a “wuss and a blouse”. He says workers also resist wearing personal protection such as respirators because they are restrictive and uncomfortable, and perceived as an impediment to the job.​








*Employer ignorance*

Industry leaders admit employers are often as ignorant as the workers. Warren Johnson, chief executive of Printing Industries New Zealand, believes the level of knowledge in the workplace has improved significantly, but in some areas there is an unwillingness to face up to the problem.
“A large part of the management structure of any industry is trade-based management. They come out of the industry and their attitude is ‘I’m 50, I’ve worked in the trade for 30 years and it hasn’t killed me, so therefore it ain’t a problem’.
“I can assure you that that philosophy does exist, and that’s what you’ve got to work on. What you have to do is start working on people as they come into the system.
“If you put yourself in the position of Mr Four-Man Printing Shop in Alexandra, what does he know about Workplace Exposure Standards? The quick answer is - nothing. His printing factory stinks, but so does everyone else’s. He’s never had his place monitored, and he wouldn’t know what you were talking about. It isn’t that he doesn’t care. It’s just that he’s uneducated.”
However, Johnson says in the last two to four years attitudes have changed. “I think the rank and file Kiwi used to think you had to have major doses of chemicals to impair somebody, but now people are realising that severe harm can be caused by drip feeding.”
Nevertheless, he estimates that workers in as few as a quarter of all printing companies are using personal protection to any significant degree. “Respirators are still a rarity. People are still commonly using bib overalls with nothing underneath. And gloves are still used primarily to keep hands clean rather than for safety.”
He says probably only 20 percent of companies have extraction systems to remove vapours from the workplace, and no more than 20 of his organisation’s 500 members would have ever had any atmospheric monitoring done.
Tim Lambert, chief executive of the Motor Body Builders Association, which represents the panelbeating industry, is not surprised workers from his industry dominate the confirmed cases of neurotoxicity on the NODS register. He attributes the problem largely to the “back yarders” - small panelbeating shops which don’t have a spray/bake booth and use spray paints in the open workshop, and which lack a properly ventilated paint mixing room.
He estimates up to 2500 workers in this industry are involved in the spraying and wiping down of cars with solvent-based products. Based on his estimate that 60 percent of shops are spraying in the open workshop, it seems reasonable to conclude that more than 1500 workers could be at risk of excessive solvent exposure in that industry alone.
He says the situation is not helped by the artificial market in which his industry operates, whereby insurance companies effectively cap the amount panelbeaters are able to charge for repairs. For many operators, that’s seen as an excuse not to invest in the capital equipment needed to bring their businesses up to scratch.
Environmental specialist Paul Heveldt of Royds Consulting believes tha​​


----------

