reminder -- welding fumes can be fatal

[MotoCreations]

The guy welds for a living -- does some incredible work in fact.  Cleaned his parts with brake clean and then TIG'd over it shortly after.  The fumes turned into a toxic gas and almost killed him. (only a few parts per million stuff) Fubar'd him up pretty bad for the rest of his life.  Just be careful out there!  (this is a reminder -- this kind of stuff happens regularly to folks. Don't be a statistic.)

Link for more readable version --> FULL PAGE VERSION HERE

[filter]

That is a horrible story and it sounds like something that could have happened to most people.

I'm glad he's alive, but wow.  Brake cleaner + welding = phosgene = severe poisoning and irreversible damage (near death)? 

How would you know that without being a chemist?  Warning labels tell you active ingredients but I would never have guessed that mixing those two things would lead to poison.

[Holden]

Chlorinated compounds used to remove oils from metals may also react under the UV created during arc welding to produce phosgene.

Scary stuff.

And trying to read that jpg gave me a headache.

[CairnsDuc]

  such a tiny amount and look what it has done to the Guy! Damn that is scary!

[Langanobob]

Thanks for posting this.  I sometimes use brake cleaner for a general purpose cleaner, but not anymore!

Also, the common belief that you can prevent or neutralize the effects of breathing the vapors while welding galvanized steel by drinking  milk is an old wives tale.

[DucHead]

+! Yes, thanks for posting this. 

...How would you know that without being a chemist?  Warning labels tell you active ingredients but I would never have guessed that mixing those two things would lead to poison.

Keep all chlorinated hydrocarbons away from intense heat (argon is inert by the way).  Low levels of phosgene have a sweet smell.

[DucHead]

such a tiny amount and look what it has done to the Guy! Damn that is scary!

Yup, phosgene is a very reactive chemical, and in addition to releasing hydrogen chloride when it reacts with water, phosgene also reacts with the tissue in your lungs and effectively suffocates you.

[NAKID]

That is a horrible story and it sounds like something that could have happened to most people.

I'm glad he's alive, but wow.  Brake cleaner + welding = phosgene = severe poisoning and irreversible damage (near death)? 

How would you know that without being a chemist?  Warning labels tell you active ingredients but I would never have guessed that mixing those two things would lead to poison.

The brake cleaner likely has a warning on it advising against heating above 120°F.

[Monsterlover]

Thank you for posting this.  When I have a project going I do a fair amount of TIG welding, but I have never used brake cleaner to clean parts.

Mainly because I never thought of it, but more than that, because I didn't know specifically that I could.

For steel I just grind or sand away the top lay to expose "fresh" metal and I never have a problem.

For aluminum, since I don't care to go with the chemical cleaner route, I use scotch brite and again, have never had an issue.

When it comes to chemicals I tend to assume I can't/shouldn't do it unless I know specifically that I can.

Thanks again for posting.

[filter]

The brake cleaner likely has a warning on it advising against heating above 120°F.

Ok, well, I hope that's the case.

Either way, it's a good reminder to be extra careful with chemicals.

[Howie]

Yup, phosgene is a very reactive chemical, and in addition to releasing hydrogen chloride when it reacts with water, phosgene also reacts with the tissue in your lungs and effectively suffocates you.

Even though I am quite aware of the danger associated with hydrochlorides it would have never dawned on me that evaporated brake cleaner would be a problem.  Great post, Mark

[scott_araujo]

Even though I am quite aware of the danger associated with hydrochlorides it would have never dawned on me that evaporated brake cleaner would be a problem.  Great post, Mark

+1.  If you use it to clean discs any residue gets hot the first time you hit the brakes.  Not the same as an open flame on a small droplet but still.  Who would guess that could be so harmful.  Then again, it does tend to dissolve my driveway when it drips so that should be a hint.  Thanks for the post.  It's good to be reminded how dangerous these things can be even though we may use them all the time.

Scott

[Speeddog]

From Wiki:

Chlorinated compounds used to remove oils from metals may also react under the UV created during arc welding to produce phosgene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosgene

[dlearl476]

such a tiny amount and look what it has done to the Guy! Damn that is scary!

+1
Especially considering all the dumb stuff I do with chemicals in the garage.  I sprayed myself a good one, right in the face, with a contact cleaner called "Purple Shower" the other day.

It's a good thing I haven't learned to weld yet, I probably would have done the same thing.

[Norm]

Don't forget cadmium too - it accumulates in the body over time.