I used a paint scraper and razor to completely strip the tub. Perfect for renters, apartment dwellers, and residential or commercial tubs, sinks, showers. I am not an overly caution person, but I understand that in certain instances it is important to exercise caution. I had no choice but to return home. She is the recipient of two awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors for interior design and service journalism. Thanks for sharing, Im sure it will really come in handy. The bathroom was small, and the door was closed due to restricted access to the bathtub. The concentration of the exposure is important too. Its like trying to paint a car yourself. Proper ventilation and a proper fitting organic vapor respirator are an absolute requirement for DIY bathtub refinishing. So, it presents no long-term hazard to the resident. White uses a portable fume exhauster, and HVLP, or high-volume, low-pressure sprayers, which produce less overspray. Traditional Spray Paint Style Refinishing has certain inherent dangers that you should be aware of. Weve added a resource to try and educate those who are using these processes and offered a number of safer alternatives to using substances other than methylene chloride here: http://jwcpropertyservices.co.uk/bathtub-refinishing-dangers/. good cotent, i like it. I am linking an article from the Retro Renovation blog on safety that includes links to other sources on this. There were 13 Fatal Exposures to Methylene Chloride Paint Strippers Among Bathtub Refinishers in the last decade. (Centers for Disease Control) Not to mention those who experience unexplained symptoms that go undiagnosed that may also be caused from these dangerous bathtub refinishing and paint stripping chemicals. The restrictions on placing on the market and use is a consequence of many incidents with lethal outcome. ECO-FRIENDLY No Odor Tub Reglazing: Fumes-free and made without harmful chemicals, Ekopel's long-lasting, oil-free glaze never peels! It hurt to know he was no longer mentality or livingly present with us in that room. Its good to know that if you have your bathtub reglazed, you much have proper ventilation. Always wear hand and eye protection. What's included in a deal sheet when you buy a NYC apartment? For consumer concerns such as this you may want to contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If I do decide to hire a professional, I will make sure they have the ventilation equipment described here. This toxic chemical which is known to be carcinogenic is still used with no warnings of the dangers. I think this post was very helpful in knowing the bad effects Bathtub refinishing of such dangerous products. Lowering exposures, even below the permissible exposure limit (PEL), is considered to be good industrial hygiene practice. Sometimes workers are not educated, companies should invest in staff training to work with these materials. So, it should not present a long-term hazard to the resident and pets after the project is completed. My friend was in the bathroom for only 4 minutes until his co workers had discovered him lying head first into the bathtub, still wearing proper mask and gloves both of which in good condition. Absolutely agree with this article. "My glazing lasted three weeks before it began to peel from a tiny spot in the center of the tub," she says. I also worry about the health of those doing this kind of work. A 2015 report by the Center for Public Integrity on U.S. deaths connected to methylene chloride noted that researchers have argued for 30 years that regulation of methylene chloride in the U.S. isnt strong enough to protect workers and that warnings on labels for consumers are insufficient. You may want to ask the installer for the products safety data sheet which may have useful information on curing times and precautions. Not worth it. Air-purifying respirators are not permitted due to the short service life of chemical cartridges when used for methylene chloride exposure. Methylene chlorides boiling point is just over 100 F, and has a vapor pressure of 350 mmHg. Im 70 and have no place to go except my apartment. if we do we get evicted. I have one side of my nose feeling congested and post nasal drip and a headache. She her nextwalked over to-door neighbor's apartment, where a team weari ng respirators was refinishi ng the bathroom with a spray-on resurfacing material and a chemical accelerator. I wish I discovered this post a few weeks earlier. Your email address will not be published. This may be an ignorant comment, so please accept my apology preemptively if so. Consult the OSHA/NIOSH Hazard Alert for specific information regarding engineering controls, exposure levels and air monitoring, personal protective equipment, worker training and medical surveillance. The Centers for Disease Control has more information on lead hazards on their web site. Traditional methods used for detecting methylene chloride involve air sampling pumps (calibrated at the desired air flow) and a sampling train with charcoal tubes as the collection media for methylene chloride. It was not adequately explained and we should have asked more questions. Right now, I am surrounded by vacant apartments, and the new owner is reglazing all of the tubs. It gives me hope to see that some commenters are specialists who are trying to recreate safer and more effective processes that will phase out use of this agent. $ 89 00. Products with these types of known harmful ingredients must require special labeling with clearer health and safety warnings for users. Step 2: Clean the Tub Thoroughly Step 3: Protect Areas Around the Tub Step 4: Remove the Glaze Step 5: Sand the Surface Step 6: Prep the Surface for Glaze Application And I havent been able to use mine in years to due mobility being so compromised. Im going to book mark your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week. In order to assess whether you may be experiencing health effects due to a toxic exposure, seek a medical evaluation from a healthcare provider. Its generally a task best performed by professionals due to the hazardous chemicals involved. Its worth looking into how long a company has been in business andits rating with the Better Business Bureau to get a sense of their track record before commissioning a job. We are sorry to hear about your symptoms. If your bathroom has a window, set a fan near it pointing outwards; this will help move air and dissipate the fumes. very good and helpful post thanks to author. This seems informative and makes a very nice image on the topic in my mind. If youve been considering a bathroom remodel, then replacing an older tub might just make sense. CDC twenty four seven. I have never thought of this before! CDR Hall is the Deputy Branch Chief of the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch in the NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. If the cost of removing the old tub and installing a new one versus reglazing are similar or your tub is particularly old or damaged, it might be better to get a new one. Its in our best interest to devise a way to remove these coatings without harming ourselves or the environment. Perhaps this us not the case. Is that dangerous as well? Im not familiar with the Australian occupational health and safety system but you might want to start with Safe Work Australia http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA . As owner of a tub refinishing company we have moved away from polyurethane isocyanate systems years ago because of the hazards but, for educational purposes, we provide a dedicated page with links to various articles on our website explaining the dangers of isocyanate coating use in residential markets. MC is not flammable on its own. Thanks for your comment. This Northern California real estate agent is living the green Dream. Theres no such thing as excessive safety precaution. I have been refinishing tubs for 23 years. share Share. We use a spray-on compound that hardens to a polished and durable, like-new finish. A person directly outside the door and 30 seconds could have saved our best friends life. Whether your tub is refinished or reglazed depends on whether or not the old coating was removed before putting a new layer of epoxy or another coating. Great Post i appreciate this thanks for sharing this post . Very good to know, Ill let the pros do it from now on, and let my readers know the same! So, once workers can smell methylene chloride they are already being overexposed.. theyre dangerous if not dealt with properly. Bathtub refinishing is the process of restoring the surface of an old bathtub to improve the bathtub's appearance and repair surface damage. Myown life was almost cut short stripping a bathtub and I was using the best Equipment money can buy but machinery or equipment can fail. However, you need to keep these essential health and safety considerations in mind whether you hire a contractor to refinish your tub or do it yourself. Eyes, skin and residual in clothing adsorbption can also be significant and detrimental. Just wonderful post, personally i am very interested for this topic. If safety is not enough to discourage the DIY Kits then maybe aesthetics will. Thank you for your comment. At least 14 workers have died since 2000 as a result of using stripping agents containing methylene chloride during bathtub refinishing. It hurt to know, the four of us where in a room together for what will be the very last time. After collecting these samples following the NIOSH analytical method the samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis. It was heart breaking. The whole job will take around 5 hours after which you will have a reglazed bathtub. NIOSH has continued to try to get the word out to workers and employers about the risks of working with methylene chloride. Bare minimum, the ventilation should meet some requirements, and homeowners should HAVE to LEAVE THE HOUSE for 3 days. I think our tub would look so much nicer if we had it refinished. I think people always take safety for too lightly. I myself am in the process of creating a technique that will eliminate the need for methylene chloride. I also had diarrhea several times this morning. Is it safe to stay???? Find them at: http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Research/Pubs/#General Im positing now with the hope it may influence one decision. An expert starts by sanding down the tub's. The Perfect Drying Conditions You should let the tub surface to cure for 24 to 48 hours. In our blog we state that methylene chloride cannot be smelled until the level in the air is higher than OSHAs permissible exposure limits (PELs). I cannot replace the tub without it being a major, expensive remodel. Even if you hire a professional to reglaze or refinish your bathtub, you and your family or other residents should leave the property during the entire process, including while the epoxy coat cures after application. The specific effects of methylene chloride exposure will vary depending on several factors, such as the amount of methylene chloride the worker is exposed to, how long the exposure lasts, and whether the worker has a higher susceptibility (for example, having a preexisting heart condition). Refinishing a bathtub is a less costly . But two days later it still bothers me. The only ventilation in the hours between the reglazing and now was provided by the slatted windows in the bathroom. White advises keeping away fromcleansers likebleach oreven Soft Scrub. Unless you have access to all the necessary protective clothing and equipment and are confident in your bathrooms ventilation system as well as your DIY capabilities, you should hire a professional to handle it. It is the first time I visit your blog, but I was extremely impressed. and products contain ISOs. We tried to open our window a bit. The fumes are strong in the bathroom so I have the bathroom door closed, vent on. I am a 48 year old single woman, who tries to do everything myself, and I am really concerned about how dangerous this is. My puppy also is constantly licking the floor. The two maintenance men pulled the man off of the tub. Bathtub refinishing can be very dangerous indeed, I have seen many poorly trained so called bathtub refinishing specialists using dangerous chemicals to refinish bathtubs in peoples homes without the proper ventilation systems in place and without using the proper protective equipment necessary. The company who gave me 6 year warranty has disconnected the phone number. It smelled awful for days. I gave my 2 year old a bath a little more came off. Finding a Miracle Method office. They take the dirt out but also take part of the glaze, he says. Thank you. Although we cant say there is any particular hazard from these paint chips, it would be prudent to prevent your toddler from eating the paint chips or bathing the toddler in water with material that is degrading from the tub into the water. We use MC (methylene chloride) in my furniture shop. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DRY SO NO DANGEROUS FUMES? But it's not just about looks. I think this post was very helpful in knowing the bad effects of such dangerous products.I think this type of finish should be banned.This is great information to share to hopefully make us more aware and careful. Ask Sam: I saw my apartment on a listing site, but I havent received any notice from my landlord. Sometimes, it's less expensive to replace a tub than to get it refinished, especially if it's a rare type of tub made of an unusual material. I learned a lot and want to ask a question about the dangers. Half-mask respirators may NOT be used because methylene chloride may cause eye irritation or damage. We always use full-face air-supplied masks and full protective gloves in order to get the job done correctly AND safely. Is it dangerous to any or all of us? Bathtub refinishing fumes are most certainly dangerous during the application process and immediate curing process. Tenant and all occupants in the apartment hereby release Bathtub Refinishing and Fiberglass Expert. Could you please advise, will this chemical leech into the water? Some refinishing products may last longer than others, as with professional-grade finishers and DIY kits. Ive spoken with many other tub resurfacing company owners and employees, and most of them do not use or even own full-face air-supplied respirators. I have 2 small kids and an infant. Your blog has provided useful information for the work. There is also a short-term exposure limit (STEL) for which the average exposure cannot exceed 125 ppm over any 15-minute period. (Removing a tub and installing a new one can cost thousands, and if youre in an apartment building, it might even require getting your downstairs neighbor involved as it may impact plumbing beyond your apartment. Thanks. I own a small bathtub refinishing business and we have committed to stay away from M.C. Provide local exhaust ventilation (LEV) and fresh makeup air to exhaust vapors released from the stripping agents in the bathtub. Wow, great article on the dangers and Health Effects when methylene chloride is used. Im not aware of any can anyone point me in the right direction please? keep blogging~! I think there should be more regulation on access to such chemicals and certainly there should be stringent training laws in place when it comes to using such chemicals. Also my bedroom windows are both open, and that door is closed as well. NIOSH analytical method 1001 is typically used to sample for methylene chloride in a workers breathing zone. However, the human body can quickly become desensitized to the smell and a worker may be overexposed even if he or she can no longer smell it. Do these products continue to leech into air/water once project is completed? Even if you hire a professional, let the area air out and keep it ventilated after the work is complete until you can no longer detect any unusual or chemical odors. I didnt realize this was so deadly. Thank you for your comment. We do not have any information about leaching of polyurethane/acrylic bathtub finishing. And Bathtub Aliphatic Acrylic Urethane MSDS. Follow the links to the Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) that the search will find. Hi I have very sensitive skin, and covered in psoriasis and eczema. Gerda. I wish I had read this blog before the procedure. very useful post thanks for giving this bath tub repair information. I already have cancer, my throat was raw and I had a headache. What a Useful Post and great shared to Plumbing Service, Thanks author your Awesome tropic and Excellent Content. I refer to this CDC article a few times a month when answering questions from customers. My apartment manager refinished my bathtub about 2 1/2 years ago instead of buying a new one. To ensure their safety, the employees should have left the room immediately after applying the methylene chloride-based stripping agent to limit exposure to methylene chloride vapors. This situation creates dangerously high concentrations of methylene chloride and even replaces the breathable air. Tub and tile were original to the 1957 home and were actually not in bad shape. Workers often spray or pour a bathtub stripping product into the basin of the bathtub and then brush the product onto the tub surface. While bathtub refinishing is one I havent tried, I do know that in-home work with many types of cleaners, paints and strippers and adhesives is always going to be a concern due to poor air circulation indoors, and sometimes outdoors too. I have 3 kids in a tiny apt in Brooklyn. Ive read some incredible information in this article. Publication number 81-8c-2013. Is that smell dangerous for children? Because this process, which involves spraying a new topcoat on your existing tub and/or tile, is significantly cheaper, easier, cleaner, and less time-consuming than actually replacing a tub.
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