Glider repair health issues?

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I have worked with fiberglass grinding dust and harsh chemicals like acrylic Urethane, lacquer thinner, etc. for the past 44 years, so I faked a chronic cough in order to get a CT scan. Just met with a Pulmonologist and got a clean bill of health! Heart, lungs, kidney and liver all look pretty good for this 85 year old specimen who quit smoking 38 years back. X-ray confirmed a screwed up spine thanks to Martin-Baker, but they saved my bacon 53 years ago, so hats off to them! The Doc told me that fiberglass dust is too course to cause problems in the lungs and harsh chemicals attack the liver and brain. My liver is OK ...................I’ll leave it to others to comment on my brains, but I’m still racing..............4th place last year!
Life is good,
JJ

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Congratulations ....now stay away from doctors, hospitals....did you write 85? 1935 Wow! Gas was 10cents, unemployment 20.1%, Roosevelt was President, and 1E Don W got lucky with Peggy Sue Smith. A lot of history since and more ahead of you. Glide on!

R

[[email protected]]

Great JJ, hope to see you at Minden! As an aside Im glad to hear about fiberglass I worked in the HVAC field and have breathed way more insulation in then anyone should have too!

CH

[gkemp]

On Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 2:10:16 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> I have worked with fiberglass grinding dust and harsh chemicals like acrylic Urethane, lacquer thinner, etc. for the past 44 years, so I faked a chronic cough in order to get a CT scan. Just met with a Pulmonologist and got a clean bill of health! Heart, lungs, kidney and liver all look pretty good for this 85 year old specimen who quit smoking 38 years back. X-ray confirmed a screwed up spine thanks to Martin-Baker, but they saved my bacon 53 years ago, so hats off to them! The Doc told me that fiberglass dust is too course to cause problems in the lungs and harsh chemicals attack the liver and brain. My liver is OK ...................I’ll leave it to others to comment on my brains, but I’m still racing..............4th place last year!
> Life is good,
> JJ

[gkemp]

On Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 2:10:16 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> I have worked with fiberglass grinding dust and harsh chemicals like acrylic Urethane, lacquer thinner, etc. for the past 44 years, so I faked a chronic cough in order to get a CT scan. Just met with a Pulmonologist and got a clean bill of health! Heart, lungs, kidney and liver all look pretty good for this 85 year old specimen who quit smoking 38 years back. X-ray confirmed a screwed up spine thanks to Martin-Baker, but they saved my bacon 53 years ago, so hats off to them! The Doc told me that fiberglass dust is too course to cause problems in the lungs and harsh chemicals attack the liver and brain. My liver is OK ...................I’ll leave it to others to comment on my brains, but I’m still racing..............4th place last year!
> Life is good,
> JJ

Right behind you JJ, but never smoked, and retired from flying 12 years ago, all I can do is drool over the cu in Arizona.

NK

[Chris Behm]

Gkemp, you should fly on Condor 2.

[Shaun Wheeler]

I'm glad you shared your story. I was kind of wondering about this myself. I've handled some stuff with fairly nasty MSDS but nothing quite on the order of the things I am fixing to use in the next six months.

[Jonathan St. Cloud]

On Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 11:27:09 PM UTC-8, Shaun Wheeler wrote:
> I'm glad you shared your story. I was kind of wondering about this myself. I've handled some stuff with fairly nasty MSDS but nothing quite on the order of the things I am fixing to use in the next six months.

I suspect genetics is the overriding factor.

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 4:10:16 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> I have worked with fiberglass grinding dust and harsh chemicals like acrylic Urethane, lacquer thinner, etc. for the past 44 years, so I faked a chronic cough in order to get a CT scan. Just met with a Pulmonologist and got a clean bill of health! Heart, lungs, kidney and liver all look pretty good for this 85 year old specimen who quit smoking 38 years back. X-ray confirmed a screwed up spine thanks to Martin-Baker, but they saved my bacon 53 years ago, so hats off to them! The Doc told me that fiberglass dust is too course to cause problems in the lungs and harsh chemicals attack the liver and brain. My liver is OK ...................I’ll leave it to others to comment on my brains, but I’m still racing..............4th place last year!
> Life is good,
> JJ

Really good outlook for JJ.
That said, we who do this work should be using dust masks and especially the correct air supply when spraying urethane.
JJ- How about better than 4th in 2020.
UH

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UH...........I was 5th until the leader charged out to Beckworth and landed there! Seven pilots moved up! I’m happy with 4th out of 19! Stopped charging 20 years ago and found things much more enjoyable!

Good clothing (no exposed skin) and good mask is essential.........I remember mixing a batch of resin, 30 years back, when I said, I can’t smell this stuff, my son said, I don’t smell anything, either.................his friend said, I SURE SMELL IT!

Gues we had already burned out our nostrils? I can’t smell much of anything to this day! Outside air with respirator essential for spraying urethane and carbon mask when mixing the stuff!
Cheers,
JJ

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I have sprayed a bunch, four airplanes and my HP-18. Used acrylic enamel on the glider, Imron on the RV-6 and PPG base clear on the RV-10 and Rans S-20 and a German base/clear on the Reno Racer I was crew chief on. Was a good boy and used positive pressure on most of them and a good cartridge filter on the rest.

What got me was sanding carbon fiber. On the Reno Racer I built a complete new nose bowl and several other parts out of carbon. Just a dust mask for most. Well that got me pneumonia like symptoms from dust inhalation. I have breathed in a lot of fiberglass in my day with no effect, but apparently the carbon is not so benign.

Bruce Patton
Still flying HP-18 69S

[[email protected]]

Hi JJ:

Your pulmonologist is partly right -while it's true that the particle size of most fiberglass is too large to stay airborne and reach the terminal branches of the lung, flame-attenuated fiberglass particles are, like asbestos, fully respirable and can. Unlike asbestos, the body can process some glass fibers which offers a bit of protection but the best bet is not to breath the stuff in the first place and never ever smoke.

Best,

Ray Warshaw

[Charlie Quebec]

Becoming sensitised to the amines in epoxy is a real thing.

[heinz weissenbuehler]

On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 5:30:42 PM UTC-5, Charlie Quebec wrote:
> Becoming sensitised to the amines in epoxy is a real thing.

JJ,

How are you !???

I did not know there was a smell in my shop ........

All good so far

Heinz

[[email protected]]

Not to worry Heinz’e, it’ll take more than epoxy stink and fiberglass dust to due in a U-2 Pilot!
Still remember you doing a max rate turn over Truckee in the bird, your contrails looked to be about 20 mile radius!
Pat says hi,
JJ