Most epoxy systems can cause skin irritation or allergic skin reactions. Hardeners can be particularly severe skin irritants and sometimes can even be moderately corrosive to skin tissue. Consequently, you should always protect your skin from epoxy with protective clothing and gloves.
When our team of experts select the raw ingredients for WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy products, we strive to achieve excellent physical properties with the lowest possible risk to human and environmental health. There is a safe exposure level for most substances. The more toxic the substance, the lower that level will be. Overexposure occurs when the safe exposure level is exceeded. When this happens, the substance can impact your health. Continue reading
Vinegar is a mild solvent and is sometimes promoted as a “harmless” solution for cleaning epoxy from skin. At first blush, this seems to makes sense. Vinegar is a common food ingredient. It has been used medicinally as an anti-fungal agent and as an old time sun burn remedy. Italian dressing, sauerkraut and pickles could not exist without it. Continue reading
Many materials used in large manufacturing processes and even small do-it-yourself jobs, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other air pollutants. Paints and other coatings, adhesives, resins and cleaning solvents are all sources of air pollution. Each product emits different types and varying amounts of air pollutants. Federal, state and local governments have passed legislation (e.g., the federal Clean Air Act) to reduce air pollution and prevent the depletion of the ozone layer by regulating the emission of air pollutants. Continue reading