Y-guys        An old friend of mine got sick all of a sudden, and had to be rushed

         to the E.R.! Earlier in the day he had been doing a lot of welding(he's a fabricator)

         and had been using brake cleaner/carb cleaner/contact cleaner/ to clean the

         metal before and during the welding process. We think the combination

         of heat and those chemicals he inhaled caused his sickness. It didn't

         happen at work, but several hours later. He's now in a coma and things

         don't look good.....

               Charlie/Tim please post this on any other sites(Hamb/Ford Muscle etc.)

         I don't go to those sites very often but I think this is important and it needs

         to get "out there".

               We're not 100% this is the cause, but we think it is.....

                                            Bill

          A friend googled these chemicals and  and found some  variations

          were in some of the W.W. II "gases" used in the war....

Bill

Pelham,Al

Bill:

Sorry to hear about your friend.  Hope he pulls through.  While it is very possible one of the cleaners, or a combination of them, caused his illness, I wonder what it was he was trying to clean off the metal.  Some type of coating?  I know that galvanized metal gives of a noxious gas when you torch cut it or weld it.  Was that what he was welding?  Was it some type of exotic alloy?  Any possibilities that you can furnish the medical people could help them treat him correctly and quickly.  And thanks for the warning.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Sorry to hear Bill, and as Hoosier says, thanks for the warning. We are always in a rush and never give it second thought to just take the quick route, if I hadn't known I may of oneday tried the same thing.

When I was a little boy there was a guy on our street who rode around in a wheel chair and was mentally not here, Just about in a coma. I was informed he drank something from under the cubboard when he was a little boy that made him that way for life.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

I will print this and post it in my shop, Give copies for friends shops, others should do the same.

Keep us posted on the outcome.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

Guys,  Just watched "Gearz"  on TV on the Speed Channel and they talked about this very subject! About using brake cleaner(example:Brake-Kleen) as a cleaner before welding --stating that a chemical agent in most is Tetrachloroethylene which mixed with argon gas(mig or tig welding) causes "Phosgene Gas Poisoning"--which there's no antidote for! Even a small amount inhaled can cause long term effects such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema--also may cause damage to kidneys,liver,pancreas damage,etc. If you would like more info go to (www.StaceyDavid.com) and click at bottom,should go to home page--at left side click on program--02-12-10 ="Welding Safety" which explains this topic. This is something everyone that does welding should read--something  we all do in this hobby when using various chemicals,cleaners, paint,etc.,and who'd a thought that a simple combination could cause deadly consiquences? I hope your friend was lucky in the out come and no future problems will occur for him!Wish him well!!! KID

Bill,

We'll be praying for your friend to pull through. If he's been fabricating for any length of time, then he is probably very aware of his surroundings and has maybe even used these chemicals before to clean his weld. Ventilation can sometimes be an issue, but that usually has immediate results. Different brands of those types of cleaning chemicals will have variations of the same chemicals, and some will have a chemical or two that others do not. Maybe he switched brands. That's why those things like MSDS paperwork can be so valuable to the doctors like Hoosier said.

A sound warning for all of us.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

My workman's comp made me buy a supplied air helmet 6 or 8 years ago when they saw one of my guys welding aluminum that had undercoating on the back side of it. They are expensive, but I now think it was money well spent.

Kenneth

Fredricksburg, Texas

I have been welding metal with undercoating for years, I don't think I have come across undercoated aluminum though.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

I am a former Ford dealer shop foreman. Never, ever, ever use brake clean around heat or flames. It creates a terrible poison gas. There have been innumerable discussions about this on automotive forums. Many years ago I found an apprentice spraying brake clean into carbs and running the engine to "clean" them out in the shop. He was too lazy to go to the back parts counter and get some cans of carb cleaner. It can cause devastating nerve and organ damage. Hopefully your friend will recover quickly.



Mark

57 Black Tbird 312/auto

heres a article on it. chemical plants that have phosgene in the plant require phosgene detection badges and supplied air respirators to work around it. its some bad stuff.

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

Kenny  Onalaska, Texas