Any general aviation experimental aircraft builder will tell you that when working with composites and epoxies that if you do not have a complete breathing mask and excellent ventilation that the fumes will get you higher than a kite. And those fumes are doing much more than just getting you high, as they are toxic.
The abatement of Toxic Fumes when working with Composites is indeed essential, especially in the smaller factories, which sell to larger companies and corporations and make parts. While growing up I had a friend who made Winglets for airliners, which decreased the wing tip vortices and improved efficiency of the wing, thus the aircraft used less fuel and performed better at slower speeds.
These winglets were made of composite. The gentleman?s partner ran the shop and he did sales. Within a few years his partner had a stroke and then died and it was considered later that the fumes got to him even though they did have ventilation in the shop and understood the issues when working with epoxies and composites. These things can be very bad for your lungs and such fumes and materials when not carefully controlled have caused Lung Cancers too.
As the rush for lighter vehicles, parts and such increase so to will the use of sandwich composite construction and these issues will become more prevalent as private enterprise and small businesses pick up the slack, nevertheless no matter what size the company is or where on the Earth those parts are made or which people are exploited for labor; they need to think about the Abatement of Toxic Fumes when working with Composites. Consider this in 2006.
Lance Winslow
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