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06 November 2010 #1
Sam Carlson Tutorial Bot
- Join Date
- 14 Aug 2010
- Location
- Medford, MA
- Posts
- 684
- Saab(s)
- '90 900 LPT with a flat-nose conversion
Auto chemicals: health hazards
I was just thinking about the nasty stuff I come in contact with every day, and how maybe we could share our knowledge of the really horrible things we expose ourselves to while fixing our cars. I know that in moderation none of it is going to kill us, but I still like to be careful. With that in mind, here are blurbs on the three chemicals I know the most about.
Coolant
Ethylene glycol based:
If you drink it, you die. A few mL is fine, but much at all and you're a goner. Dogs and babies like it because it tastes sweet, so they are inclined to drink large quantities of it. Some coolants have a bittering agent in them to combat this tendency. It's not the ethylene glycol itself that attacks you, but the metabolites your body makes of it. They make your kidneys shut down and attack your central nervous system. Other than that, totally benign. Studies have shown that even exposing your hands to coolant for hours per day for years will not hurt them.
Propylene glycol based:
Less toxic than ethylene glycol based coolant, but I still wouldn't go drinking it.
Used motor oil
It gives lab animals skin cancer after long and repeated contact with skin. I don't know if it's ever done it to humans, but I wear gloves now when I'm dealing with it.
Brake cleaner
There are two kinds: chlorinated and non-chlorinated. The chlorinated stuff is usually Tetrachloroethylene, the same chemical they use to dry-clean clothes. If exposed to a welding arc, it can turn into Phosgene, a poison gas used in World War I. This article made me very wary of combusting the stuff or even getting it near the sparks from a grinder. Very nasty stuff, it seems. The non-chlorinated stuff is usually methanol and toluene in various proportions. It attacks rubber, but it won't turn to poison gas on you.
Anybody else have things to add on? I've done a lot of googling about brake fluid, but I don't know anything about its real health hazards, other than it's corrosive. Google results are vague in this regard. Also, I know gasoline contains carcinogens, but not how bad it is for you. What about ATF?Ask me a question about your c900! I promise I either can answer it or know someone who can
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28 December 2010 #2
Safety Data Sheet Motor Oil SAE 5W-30 Long life