Yep, I thought I was a goner this time! how simple it was to get in trouble. After seeing and reading so many warning labels, we tend to no longer pay
them any heed. We buy chemicals and sprays at a local parts house and think "How can this
be so bad, health-wise, if I'm buying it over the counter?" Here's how a small whiff of
smoke almost dropped me where I stood.
I had a rush job to do welding four diesel tanks. I had to patch where they were pitted
by road salt corrosion. Normally, I spray a little carb cleaner on the spot I'm going to
weld, wipe it off, and then preheat the area with an acetylene torch to get rid of any
solvents. Where I normally get carb cleaner was sold out, so I got a can of brake
cleaner and went through my regular routine. To be on the safe side, I even had the shop
door open and the exhaust fan on.
I started TIG-welding on Thursday afternoon and had no problem at first. But when I
started welding across a really pitted area, I found a couple of drops of cleaner that
were lurning in a deep dimple. As I came close to the cleaner, a small puff of white
smoke popped up, and I almost passed out. I made it outside and sat for awhile in the
fresh air.
After about 10 minutes, I went to the office and sat at the computer to check the warnings
on the brake cleaner can I used. That's when my whole left side started shaking for
about 10 to 15 minutes. (I found out later I was having a seizure.)
When I was able to control myself again, I read the can's warning: "Vapors may decompose
to harmful or fatal corrosive gases such as hydrogen chloride and possibly phosgene."
After reading about hydrogen chloride, I started researching phosgene. the active
chemical in the brake cleaner is tetrachloroethylene. when this chemical is exposed
to excessive heat and the gas argon, which is used in MIG and TIG welding, it produces
phosgene. Phosgene gas can be fatel with a dose as little as four parts per million:
basically a small puff of smoke. Symptoms can be delayed from six to 48 hours
after exposure. There is no antidote for phosgene poisoning. If you do survive, the
long-term effects can be chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
My breathing still was hard a few hours later, but I felt a little better, so I didn't
go to a hospital. The chlorine taste and smell in my nose and mouth were still strong.
About midnight, I started coughing and my chest started hurting, but I thought that
this would pass after a night's sleep. The next day (Friday), the symptoms got worse
and my kidneys started hurting, so I drqank a bunch of liquids and cranberry juice.
For the next four days, I was constipated and only urinated a lot of clear fluid
with no smell. though sometimes I felt okay, I was really in a lot of pain on and off
for the next several days, as well as weak and tired. then my urine became very dark
and smelt terrible.
By the next Monday, nine days after the poisoning, I lost all balance. I was confused and
could hardly talk, so I finally went to the emergency room. My sysmtoms were low
O2 level, sugar levels out of control, vertigo, and I was hurting badly in my
entire chest. I was admited and put into ICU. My kidneys had probably shut down for those
first four days. My lungs were damaged, so I had to be on O2. I had to be on
insulin to keep my sugar in check. Since there is no antidote for phosgene, all I
could do was try and rest and hope I got better. After CT, MRI, EKG, and EEG tests,
as well as several blood tests it looked like, at least for now, there is no permanent
damage. However, the MRI showed fluid in my sinuses and a buildup of fluids near my
brain. The phosgene scarred my sinuses, which then became infected. The three
doctors I saw said I was really luck to make it.
After four weeks, it appears that I may have emphysema and chronic bronchitis. I'm on
nasal medicine and an inhaler. My sinuses are severely scarred, and my smell nerves are
damaged. I still have that awful chlorine taste and smell. I may also have pancreas
damage. The insulin that I was taking had little effect on my sugar levels, so I'm now on
some stronger medicines.
So why am I telling you all this? I hope to save someone from an easily avoidable severe
illness or even death. The cleaning sprays commonly found in thousands of bike shops
across the country can be just as dangerous if improperly used. Read the labels and warnings!
Look up the chemicals you use. Just because you got away with it before, doesn't mean
you won't get in trouble the next time.
This article was originally published in the August 2009 issue of American Iron Magazine.
Published here with the express consent of the author.
Editor's note: Here are a couple of web sites and phone numbers you should have posted
in your shop: www.AAPCC.org (800/222-1222) and www.CDC.gov. Your local hospital is anoother
good one. You can contact Brew Dude at BREW Bikes LLC, 336/385-BREW, www.BrewRacingFrames.com.
