How safe are you? by Kraig W. Sturtz, MD

You are reading this magazine because you enjoy air- brushing. To some of us it’s a hobby, to others a pro- fession, but to many it’s a passion. Now, imagine that somewhere along the line you failed to take appropri- ate safety precautions and can no longer enjoy your hobby or practice your craft because it threatens your very existence. Unfortunately, without the proper safe- guards, this could happen to any of us. We are, on a daily basis, bombarded by many things that are detrimental to our health. Pollution, radiation, various environmental toxins and if you are unlucky enough you may even have daily occupational exposure to toxins and carcinogens. Unfortunately airbrushing does not exempt us from chemical/carcinogen expo- sures that can have significant impact on our short- term and possibly even our long-term health. You may not like what you are about to read, but what I present are medical facts. If they scare you…..…good, they should. If they frighten you to the point of consis- tently utilizing your safety equipment, well then I have done my job. If they do not…. maybe a piece of you will visit under my microscope someday. I’m not kidding, I am a pathologist and I see the worst of the worst every day I go to work. Are you, or do you know someone allergic to bee stings? Some of these people are so sensitive to bee venom a single sting could be their last. The ones that know they are sensitive carry medicine they can inject to slow or stop the allergic reaction. If you have ever seen a se- vere allergic reaction and are not in a position to treat it or get the person to medical attention it is a very helpless situation as their eyes, face, and airway swells with progressive severe breathing problems. If you are lucky, you won’t. So with that exciting introduction let’s discuss isocya- nate sensitivity. Isocyanates are present in many of the solvent based paint systems we use. It is the reaction of the isocyanates at a molecular level that causes the cross linking of polymers and hence the structural sta- bility of the paints we use (ie urethanes and polyure- thanes). If I have oversimplified the chemical process here, I apologize. Damn it Jim, I’m a doctor not a chem- ist!

Here is the problem with isocyanates. A person can become sensitized to isocyanates analogously to a per- son becoming sensitive to bee stings. The most typi- cal form of sensitization is isocyanate induced asthma.

Isocyante exposure is one of the leading causes of occupational asthma. Asthma is a constriction of the airways which makes breathing difficult. The symp- toms include but are not limited to coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and/or shortness of breath. It’s onset can happen as fast as one significant exposure (rare) or can happen with cumulative exposure over a period of years. Symptoms can occur during active exposure or can occur several hours afterwards. If you experi- ence these symptoms seek medical attention. Unfortu- nately, there is no easy way of knowing when you have become sensitized until you start to have symptoms. Once this sensitization has occurred there is no way to reverse it. Certain smells or even cold could set off an asthma attack. Unfortunately if sensitized you may be forced to find another hobby or profession as a severe asthma attack could be fatal. Another, but far more rare, pulmonary condition in- duced by isocyanate exposure is hypersensitivity pne- monitis which is an inflammatory condition of the lungs. This presents with flu-like symptoms (including fever) and shortness of breath. If the inflammation persists long enough the lungs could react by scarring. This scarring is called interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Once set into motion IPF results in a relentless decline in lung function which can also be fatal but with this condition you get to die slowly. Isocyanates also irritate the eyes, mucous membranes and the skin. In most cases the skin reaction is local- ized to the area of exposure causing a condition called irritant contact dermatitis. Severe contact dermatitis can also be debilitating and I have personally known people who have had to change their profession as a result of this condition. Contact dermatitis symptoms include reddening, slight thickening, weeping, scaling and cracking of the skin. Sometimes blisters can be present. If you ever had a good case of poison ivy you have had irritant contact dermatitis and you already know what I’m talking about. There is suggestion in the literature that one could even possibly become sensi- tized to isocyanates simply via skin exposure. Ok, I have thrown out a lot of negative information, but there is no need to put your airbrushing equipment away forever. There are ways to protect yourself. Air- brushing safety is truly a matter of common sense. The converse of this is that if you think you are doing some- thing in an unsafe manner …..chances are you are, and Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36