Anyone get sick from fumes?

GrinAndBeadIt · #1 2008-07-08, 8:08pm

Has anyone gotten really sick from torching? Ever since I started torching and have only done so at the shop where I take my classes I have developed a cough and my chest feels sort of like it did when I had bronchitis a long time ago. It all started when I started torching. Do you think the fumes are causing problems in my lungs? I would think it's sort of fast to come on since I just started this craft.

Thoughts??

Deb Hopeful Journeys · #2 2008-07-08, 8:11pm

Do you have ventilation?

GrinAndBeadIt · #3 2008-07-08, 9:17pm

Yes, they have a huge ventilation system up above all the torches. Two times I was there and the ventilation was not on when I had my first class and when I went and rented 2 hours of torch time. And, there was someone else torching across from me at the same time and he had been there for hours before I had been. He really cranked that baby up for his twirly canes. Since I've been in class the past 2 weeks the ventilation has been on. I wouldn't think that such short exposure would actually cause me problems, that is why I am asking here to get more information before deciding I need to see a doctore about this.

Raven Wylder · #4 2008-07-08, 10:42pm

Yes, I am very sensitive to fumes while torching. I get headaches, throat itchies (like sinus congestion in your throat and chest), and nausea, etc, when I don't have good ventilation. Just cuz they have ventilation doesn't alway's mean it's adequate enough. Also, whenever I use frit/silver glass/enamels, I have to wear a respirator (even with good ventilation).

Something too look out for as well, when you torch, are you leaning forward into the flame area? If you do this, even with good ventilation, you're breathing in the fumes. Try to make sure you sit up straight and not lean too far forward. Hope you figure this out. I'd recommend to go see your doc anyway just to make sure and if it's nothing, try using a respirator the next time you torch as well as taking notice not to lean into the fumes.

beadsoncypress · #5 2008-07-09, 2:26am

exactly what Raven said. A beautiful ducting system does not necessarily mean that the ventilation is good. I am not as sensitive, but when torching in a particular location I had the same problem (plus a headache the next morning)......Since I now have my own studio (with supposedly not to great ventilation) I have not had the breathing problems but can get a light headache if I torch for over 6 hours. Susan

pierces*designs · #6 2008-07-09, 3:17am

I am very sensitive to fumes and I get the symptoms you describe.

lurvey · #7 2008-07-09, 4:52am

I always use a mask now when I torch for that exact reason. One of those black, canister things. It was uncomfortable at first, but now I don't even notice it, except when my nose itches! Add that to reading glasses taped to didy's and I'm quite a fetching sight...or some kind of a sight, anyway.

Kelly

beadysam · #8 2008-07-09, 7:26am

I'm very sensitive to fumes too. I get really really tired and a little unco-ordinated, I get headachey and flu like symptoms. It takes a couple of hours to feel normal again... not good!

Carols Glass · #9 2008-07-09, 9:12am

I have noticed that when I make the silver shards or use CIM glass or even ASK glass I get bad chest pains. It is very painful but goes away by morning and then I forget by the next time I torch. Maybe your thread will help to remind me today to cover my face! I know that this will cause medical problems down the road if I don't. I don't want that!

JavaGirlBT · #10 2008-07-09, 10:45am

At the last class I took, I came home with a tight-feeling chest and then had a really bad cough for three weeks after. They had ventilation, but it was not localized.

Lorraine Chandler · #11 2008-07-09, 1:45pm

kelly, I had to laugh at your post. I wear the halfmask respirator but I use the soft pink pads..

I also have on my safety glass and my headphones..YEP! Martians have nothing on me when I torch!!

To the original poster..do anything you have to do to NOT have symptoms. Your lungs are precious and getting asthma, bronchitis and other ailments are very bad.

Some people cannot torch due to the health problems that show up so try to nip all of those symptoms in the bud....now.

Your lungs and M.D. will thank you later.

Lorraine

lurvey · #12 2008-07-09, 6:20pm

soft pink pads???? What are they?

Kelly

tiggybubba · #13 2008-07-11, 3:00pm

I am in the process of shutting my studio down....I do have ventilation but not good. My lungs are hurt. I am going to remodel with a proper vent system. I figure it will take me about 6 weeks to do the remodel and hopefully my lungs feel better by then. If not, I will be wearing a respirator as well.

ziggys · #14 2008-07-14, 9:03am

I used to get headaches with the HH and mapp gas even outside. Once inside with vent it went away. The vent system really made a difference and it wasn't anything fancy!

Now outside again with a Mini CC, if I have the torch angled straight up I breath the fumes. If I don't have it angled that way it's not a problem 99% of the time. I'm small, have short arms so sit very close to the torch.

Hayley · #15 2008-07-14, 9:34am

I am very sensitive to fumes. Took a one-day class at a studio without ventilation once and was feeling yucky by mid afternoon and had a headache for three days.

Please do NOT torch without ventilation AND make sure that you wear a N-100 or P-100 (NOT 95) respirator when working with materials that contain metal such as silver foil, copper mesh, silver glass, frit, enamel, etc.

More importantly, your NOT having symptoms doesn't mean that you didn't inhale the same nasty fumes as those of us who have symptoms!!!

Rudy · #16 2008-07-25, 5:15pm

Oh my gosh you guys...health first!!! If the ventilation system is lacking..and even if it's adequate, wear a mask...a GOOD one. It was a pain at first, but you get used to it and it's no big deal. SAFETY FIRST! And by the way...I wouldn't crank up the torch if I didn't think I had sufficient ventilation.

laurieeller · #17 2008-07-27, 10:13pm

Wow. This is a HUGE eye-opener. I must be the most stupid person here, literally.

I have no "real" ventilation.

I do the cross-breeze thing, and we installed an a/c unit so that I could be freezing cold in my studio (my house a/c was fine for "living" but running the torch, well I couldn't stand being even the slightest bit "hot"). So I have the a/c unit too, which kinda acts as a ventilation....I said "kinda".

My hubby said he'd put a system in this week.

Since last Saturday I have been dealing with, what i thought what i thought was, a tension headache. nope, i bet it has to do with the torching. i've had the burning in the chest before too (i have a nortel minor burner, btw).

ugh. i'm freaking out. well i won't be torching till i get the vent up.

talk about stupid. yeah. i know. i'm reallllly dumb. no need to tell me. i get it already.

MelissaQ · #18 2008-07-27, 11:46pm

No you are not stupid Laurie!!! You were just not informed! I would say you are really smart because you have decided to stay away from the torch until you can get proper ventilation. I did the same thing until I came here and started learning about safety.

glasshouse · #19 2008-07-28, 12:01am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayley

I am very sensitive to fumes. Took a one-day class at a studio without ventilation once and was feeling yucky by mid afternoon and had a headache for three days.

I had a very similar experience in a small garage studio with 6 torches going and no real ventilation. I'm not super sensitive, but I was sitting at the torch furthest away from the window. (Which some people kept closing because they were cold!!

)

After 6 hours I started feeling worse and worse. I also had a metallic feeling in my throat. After the class ended I could barely stand up. I had to have my husband come pick me up and drive me home. As soon as I got home, I sat at my torch, cracked open the oxy bottle and huffed oxygen for 20 minutes. My headache cleared up and I felt a lot better. I think that's when I realized that lampworking does have some serious health risks if you are not taking proper precautions.

Wear an N100 mask if necessary, but keep in mind that a mask is not going to oxygenate your air for you. If you do not have make-up air to replenish the oxygen that your torch is burning up (more serious/likely in a studio setting), you can still get headaches and symptoms regardless of whether you are wearing an N100 mask.

Torch safe!

Kelly

Beadanna · #20 2008-07-28, 7:35am

The first day I did lampworking (about 5 years ago) there was no ventilation in the studio with 4 or 5 people opposite each other at a table. I came home feeling rotten.
When I began again in 2007 I knew I would have to wear a mask and have done each time I'm at the torch. My teacher's studio has ventilation. I have asthma and really have to look after my lungs.
So my studio is taking a while to get there as I really have to have good ventilation. I like this from Dale M (a member here) http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum...opic.php?t=150 and post no. 8 here
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...38#post1968138
from Denis Brady also an LE member.

Beadanna

DesertDreamer · #21 2008-07-28, 7:47am

Poorly ventilated propane gives me headaches and chest tightness. It happenes every single time I'm in a studio that uses propane and isn't vented aggressively.

CrowbirdieBeads · #22 2008-08-06, 2:12pm

Wow - glad to read this! I'd had a fairly major reaction to silver foil, but it was really sneaky and I didn't notice until I was out of the studio. I started feeling sort of "off" and decided to call it a day, and after I'd gotten everything shut down I went in the house and suddenly got a massive headache, chills to the bone, and scared the heck out of myself. I got into a really hot bath to help with the chills but it took a solid day to recover where I wasn't feeling like I'd run a small marathon.

Now I'm really, really careful about ventilation...

Sarabella · #23 2008-08-06, 4:40pm

I have to chime in too ... I noticed first during a class where there was pretty good but loud ventilation. Unfortunately, with 8 people torching with silver glass and foils it wasn't enough - I went home with a crashing headache and flu-like symptoms - the next day I had quite a cough to go along with it. I know it wasn't the flu ... I couldn't face torching again for two weeks. Now I am very careful at home to have my outside door open while I torch and wear a welding helmet (has additional shaded eye protection and is lightweight and keeps the fumes out of my face).

Sals

Heidi von Frozenfyre · #24 2008-08-09, 2:35pm

After 17 years of the *best* possible ventilation in the bead studio all I can tell you is to get out and get out fast. Just wait till your lungs start to bleed, and you continue because you're addicted to glass for a few years after the first onset.
Lungs feel spongey... coughing up blood tinged sputum? Time to sell before it turns into emphesema (and I've never smoked)

truly · #25 2008-08-20, 3:15am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heidi von Frozenfyre

After 17 years of the *best* possible ventilation in the bead studio all I can tell you is to get out and get out fast. Just wait till your lungs start to bleed, and you continue because you're addicted to glass for a few years after the first onset.
Lungs feel spongey... coughing up blood tinged sputum? Time to sell before it turns into emphesema (and I've never smoked)

I am so shocked by what has happened to you!
Finding this thread when i am wondering about the safety issues involved with lampworking seems like fate. I have never been aware of any adverse effects from torching yet but that is'nt to say that i have'nt been breathing in some very harmful toxins/chemicals.
When i went on my lampworking course there was no extraction system in place and like someone has already said, people kept closing windows and doors because they were cold - we were'nt warned about the dangers of breathing in bead release dust or fumes when using silver glass, foil etc either. Are there no minimum Health & Safety requirements for those running courses?

Heidi von Frozenfyre · #26 2008-08-20, 7:58am

(...oh and I have never smoked)

I predict that in 10 years lampworking will be dying off in popularity due to health issues.

BeadMaven · #27 2008-08-20, 8:13am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heidi von Frozenfyre

After 17 years of the *best* possible ventilation in the bead studio all I can tell you is to get out and get out fast. Just wait till your lungs start to bleed, and you continue because you're addicted to glass for a few years after the first onset.
Lungs feel spongey... coughing up blood tinged sputum? Time to sell before it turns into emphesema (and I've never smoked)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heidi von Frozenfyre

(...oh and I have never smoked)

I predict that in 10 years lampworking will be dying off in popularity due to health issues.

I am so sorry this happened to you Heidi and am shocked as well.
Have you posted this info all over to get the word out?

I remember when you were getting out of the Lampworking biz and don't recall you ever mentioning this as the reason - maybe I missed it.

Can your health issues be be proven to be directly related/caused by Lampworking?

If so, it make me pause at the implications and I am surprised it seems to be ignored but then again this is the first time I have seen this info.

Best wishes

GinnyHampton · #28 2008-08-22, 10:21am

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeadMaven

I am so sorry this happened to you Heidi and am shocked as well.
Have you posted this info all over to get the word out?

I remember when you were getting out of the Lampworking biz and don't recall you ever mentioning this as the reason - maybe I missed it.

Can your health issues be be proven to be directly related/caused by Lampworking?

If so, it make me pause at the implications and I am surprised it seems to be ignored but then again this is the first time I have seen this info.

Best wishes

Me too! Heidi, I had no idea you were going through that . . . if you posted something, I missed it

What did the doctor tell you caused your lung issues? I'm wondering if there's a test or something I, or anyone else, could go get if they're concerned.

mandyjw · #29 2008-08-22, 2:10pm

Heidi, I'm not trying to imply that you health concerns are not real or serious but are you sure they were caused by lampworking? How many hours a day did you work at the torch?

Lampworking has been around a while and people have been working with glass and hot torches for a very long time. Welders have more health concerns than a lampworker and they rarely have appropriate ventilation. I don't see how you can tell everyone to get out of bead making as soon as they can because it's that dangerous.

I just wish a study could be done that told us what exactly the risks are. Is it the metals in the glass? The NOX gases? Even silver fumes haven't been proven to be more than an irritant in normal amounts. We are told we need good ventilation because there very well could be harmful gases and irritants that can cause problems over time and it's better to be safe than sorry. I just don't see how you can say that lampworking is horrible for your health, even with good ventilation.

judejudejude · #30 2008-08-22, 9:51pm

hi everyone, i have emphazema and have been working with boro for 7 years and about 6 weeks now with soft glass. i do a fair amount of fuming with pure silver as well and i do hold my breath when i do this until i take the silver nugget out of the flame. i have excellent ventilation. i don't feel any change in my lungs since i have been working with glass. i do know of two different incidences of two people where one was moving their glass rods and tubes out of their original boxes to pvc pipe and the other was using a glass cutter to cut the glass rods in half, a case of about 50. both had blood in there stool the next day. doctor said he assumed from glass dust that they swallowed while working. only lasted one day for each of them. now they always have a cloth mask on and also their ventilation systems going when they are moving or breaking down their glass. i could never quite playing with glass.