tub resurfacing fumes apartment tub resurfacing fumes apartment

Having your bathtub professionally refinished will cost around $460 (the national average), but you can expect to pay between $200 to $900 depending on the type of tub you have and the cost of labor in your location. Simply not worth the risk. Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. I own a home built in 1940 and have been considering getting my cast iron bathtub refinished. I already have cancer, my throat was raw and I had a headache. Comments listed below are posted by individuals not associated with CDC, unless otherwise stated. Surely the proper checks should be taken before the products leaves the factory. Being relatively poor most of my life Ive always been a do-it-yourselfer. This is a great article. Delivered to your inbox twice weekly - for free. If the vapor smell continues and is persistent you should call a safety and health professional to evaluate the area. I have a chipped tub that is built in with tile walls. Surface Designers have been in business for over 20 years resurfacing bathtubs and countertops. I just bought this old house that has this beautiful tub if only it can get restored back to new. I have personally resurfaced in the past for investment properties, and have smelt the sweet smell, but never was affected , luckily. I have been home for about 3 hours now with every window and balcony open and these posts are freaking me out! Quite naive of me. What separates a good job from a not-so-good job is not so much how it looks, its the prep. My little dog had trouble breathing during the night and I had to go to urgent care for a chest xray. However, products are more dangerous when they are sweet smelling, and as your article states your are already exposed once you smell it. Theres no such thing as excessive safety precaution. The maintenance man telephoned 911 and then a second maintenance man. If your bathroom has a window, set a fan near it pointing outwards; this will help move air and dissipate the fumes. This may sound extreme, but I assure you, neglect to safety is not worth the life of a co worker, family member, or in my case a best friend. So, it should not present a long-term hazard to the resident and pets after the project is completed. I cant tell you how many times Ive told others in the field that are doing this to make sure they have more ventilation and to remove or re-coat the tube out of the bathroom and to at least not to do it without the proper breathing apparatus. very good and helpful post thanks to author. Melissa. If this could be dangerous, government should put strict in purchasing this kind of toxic to avoid casualties for workers and even consumers. A bathtub replacement can cost around $2,900 on average and may add value to your property. Thank you for this post. Opening the windows is necessary, but it's certainly not enough if you're working with methylene chloride. We can avoid being harmed if we will be knowledgeable about things. Thats why we see it a lot in historic neighborhoods.. Publication number 81-8b-2012, Successful bathtub stripping using sanding as an alternative to methylene chloride The warning labels should be more elaborate about the safety requirements. Thanks for your comment. I have 2 small kids and an infant. The epoxy coatings used to finish bathtubs can also emit dangerous vapors such as isocyanates when sprayed. If you just bought a Mercedes, would you put a rubber mat on the roof? White asks. Lowering exposures, even below the permissible exposure limit (PEL), is considered to be good industrial hygiene practice. Also you should understand between difference between Refinishing (without removing the old layer first) and Reglazing (stripping off the previous coating and sanding down the tub) a Bathtub. This is in Australia. Bathtub refinishing is the process of restoring the surface of an old bathtub to improve the bathtub's appearance and repair surface damage. discovered that the fumes were coming through the vent in her bathroom. The apt right next to me was just resurfaced and the chemicals came through the air vents. Are these chemicals only toxic while being applied, or can they still be harmful later as used? Using methylene chloride products in a bathroom is extremely dangerous as bathrooms are often small, enclosed spaces with little or no ventilation. So, it presents no long-term hazard to the resident. What's the difference between jumbo and conforming loans? This forces a refinisher to use a very strong stripper. OSHAs Methylene Chloride standard (29 CFR 1910.1052) requires employers to test the air to determine the concentration of methylene chloride present in the air when a product containing methylene chloride is used (29 CFR 1910.1052(d)). I washed the tub thoroughly and have been using it since. Also, you may want to ask the installer for the products safety data sheet which may have useful information on curing times and precautions. Keep posting at all like me gonna turned up at write out paper everyday! Thank you! Perhaps this us not the case. Successful bathtub stripping with benzyl alcohol as an alternative to methylene chloride-based paint strippers We have had a terrible experience. 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. When selecting a PID care must be taken to make sure that the instrument is equipped with a lamp that has the ionization potential necessary to detect methylene chloride (11.7 eV lamp). Use a qualified occupational safety and health specialist to assist in the design and installation of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to effectively control vapors to below applicable PELs. Follow all applicable OSHA standards, including the Methylene Chloride standard (. After collecting these samples following the NIOSH analytical method the samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis. I live in a small one bedroom apartment and I just had my tub resurfaced. Symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness or difficulty staying awake require immediate medical attention. We need to know what all are used while doing refinishing. 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. Since methylene chloride is a volatile organic compound that will evaporate faster when sprayed, brushed, or poured, the chemical vapors can quickly build up in small spaces. Vapors from this liquid can collect in the bottom of the tub and cause the person refinishing the tub to asphyxiate or even suffer from a heart attack because methyl chloride turns to carbon monoxide in the body, cutting off oxygen supply. Bare minimum, the ventilation should meet some requirements, and homeowners should HAVE to LEAVE THE HOUSE for 3 days. Follow good housekeeping measures, including spill and leak control and appropriate personal hygiene practices (such as making skin washing areas available to workers). ), [Its] a great way to make a grimy, stain-ridden bathtub look new again, says Dan DiClerico, HomeAdvisor'ssmart home strategistand home expert. Works on all types of surfaces. The Health and Safety Executive is our policing force that helps prevent the tragic consequences of injuries and even fatalities in the workplace. The vapors should subside after awhile and you should not be able to smell the strong odor. I feel sure many, many more have died from methylene chloride than we know why is this so? Your blog has provided useful information for the work. Heart attacks may occur even before any other symptoms of methylene chloride exposure occur. I guess this is one of those occupational hazard jobs when doing bathtub refinishing. The fumes were in her room not mine, i didnt know until i opened the door, we had put on the fan origionally for the smell, fumes came full blown after. Bathtub. However since Kevin was an organ donor, they kept his body on life support, in order to preserve is heart, liver, and kidneys. An expert starts by sanding down the tub's. She and her contractor agreed to wait until the weather cooledto remedy the situation. Ive also learned that without experience or training, what may be simple in concept is often the opposite in practice. These instruments are non-specific and will measure other VOCs present in the area in addition to methylene chloride. A person directly outside the door and 30 seconds could have saved our best friends life. Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. i come back again this blog, any way i think We're starting to see chipped areasThey're more in the tub than on the walls. For example, if you have a beautiful clawfoot tub made from heavy cast iron, refinishing is absolutely the way to go. My cat was crying and jumping on the door to get out. Ask Sam: I saw my apartment on a listing site, but I havent received any notice from my landlord. They hold soap scum, body oils, dirt, basically everything that comes off the human body will form a paste of scum. Please do not use a torch either The fumes will kill use. I use all chemical-free products to clean, and cannot use otherwise or it affects me. Bathtub Reglazing Experts. and products contain ISOs. Thank you for your comment. Thanks! 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. You may want to contact the Environmental Protection Agency or The Consumer Product Safety Commission. Note that humidity affects both dry time and how well the topcoat bonds to the surface, so the cool, less-humid seasons of fall or spring providethe best conditions for this type of work. We have for years been trying to come up with a Stripper that will remove Epoxy DIY kits that do not have the Methylene Chloride but time is an issue. If you feel you are in danger, you should contact your local emergency services for assistance. Last night I went to bed with a headache, then vomited on and off throughout the night. So, it should not present a long-term hazard to the residents after the project. It is amazing that I get over 100 hits per month on the article from homeowners who are fumed out during and after refinishing. Thank you for introducing this sensitive topic in such a way I never thought these chemicals were so dangerous. Please let me know where to seek more information, particularly in the Australian climate? Bathtub refinishing is being used more by hotels, apartment complexes and homeowners because of a housing downturn, a mortgage-meltdown, and overall depressed and depressing economy as a way to save money in their bathroom renovation. This is a moderated site and your comments will be reviewed before they are posted. I own a small bathtub refinishing business and we have committed to stay away from M.C. TENANT INSTRUCTIONS: . (323) 396-1030. sales@reglazinglosangeles.com. Its generally a task best performed by professionals due to the hazardous chemicals involved. Products containing methylene chloride should be avoided when possible. 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 am exposing myself by soaking in this tub? My question is about whether it leaches during use. The legal basis is Annex XVII of the REACH regulation. A lot of times when a solvent stinks, you realize you need the right protective equipment and ventilation. I like taking baths, but will not do so in this tub now knowing how unhealthy it actually is. 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.