Canned Spray Brake Cleaner = Phosgene Article August Issue of American Iron Magazine [Archive]

View Full Version : Canned Spray Brake Cleaner = Phosgene Article August Issue of American Iron Magazine

jstasney

07-03-2009, 01:16 PM

spotsineyes

07-03-2009, 02:08 PM

Anything with chlorine in it will do that. If you see chlo... or chlor, chloro, etc, anywhere in the name of any of the ingredients, it has the potential to produce phosgene when burnt. Even welding in a commercial swimming pool's mechanical room will make phosgene.

Dmaxer

07-03-2009, 02:47 PM

All of the aerosol brake cleaners I've seen in CA stores are labled "non-chlorinated". They contain methanol, toluene, acetone and use CO2 as a propellant. Nowhere on the warning labels do I see anything about dangers associated with using them on parts that are to be heated, other than the usual flammability hazard. Which states allow the sale of chlorinated brake cleaners?:confused:

Grumpy

07-03-2009, 03:01 PM

Hi Guys,
A buddy of mine at work showed me this article about a guy who nearly died as a result of breathing fumes from vaporized canned spray Brake Cleaner he used to clean aluminum with before welding it.

He is really bad off now as a result of it.

EVERYONE!!!!
PLEASE Go and read up on this Brake Cleaner = Phosgene Article right NOW!

The life you save may very well be your own!

Here's the link!

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm (http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm)

L8tr

Jeff :cool:

Be careful of that article. There seems to be some "stuff" that just doesn't fit with the following article: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/MHMI/mmg176.pdf

The author of that article may have other physical problems other than phosgene poisoning. And before you ask NO I'm not a doctor or connected with the medical field.

Just my 2¢.

Desertrider33

07-03-2009, 09:36 PM

Acetone and denatured alchohol (SLX) are good choices for cleaning metal before tig welding.

MAC702

07-04-2009, 12:38 AM

...Which states allow the sale of chlorinated brake cleaners?:confused:

I can still buy both here. For now. I've been thinking of buying a dozen cases of the good stuff just to put in storage.

allessence

07-04-2009, 09:17 AM

On a similar note. When I was about 22-23 I was working on an old parts cleaner tank that was galvanized. Had some major pin hole in it and I had spend a better part of the day welding in patch panels with SMAW. Then I decided that since it was such slow going that i would fire up the OA and do some brazing on it instead.

This was the middle of winter and I didn't plug in the exhaust fan and the smoke in the shop was pretty thick. As I was welding and then brazing the amount of?Zinc smoke coming off the galvy and then the brass rod must have been pretty high.

I figured I maybe had 8-9hrs of exposure. Went to eat supper and came down with a very high fever and started to cough. I was just exhaust. Took a shower and went to bed.

I woke up feeling a little tired in the morning but with little else. I figured I must of had zinc poisoning. Everything was fine in a couple of days.

This was the last time I did any welding/brazing in a confined area without some sort of ventilation. If possible I prefer to do my welding outside if it's something I can get away with.

Desertrider33

07-04-2009, 08:24 PM

If you're going to weld on zinc galvanized metal, either do it outside in a breeze and stay upwind of the weld, or wear a respirator mask. 3M with the pink filters works good.

marveman74

07-05-2009, 08:19 AM

It may be an old wives tale but we used to drink milk after welding on galvanized steel to counteract the zinc. I welded with good ventilation but always took the precaution of milk after feeling like crap the first time.

As for the phosgene gas. I dont want to breathe anything that comes out of a break cleaner can. I got it in my eye one time and that was an enlightening experience to say the least. I would like to know why he waited 9 DAYS before he went to the hospital? That is stupidity.

turboglenn

07-05-2009, 08:21 AM

I tried using brake-kleen a few times but i could tell it was leaving some kind of residue that made an awefull smell during welding and I stopped using it within a 2 day period for welding and switched to using either lacquer thinner or acetone since they are "clean" solvents

metalmagpie

07-05-2009, 11:19 AM

It may be an old wives tale but we used to drink milk after welding on galvanized steel to counteract the zinc. I welded with good ventilation but always took the precaution of milk after feeling like crap the first time.

It is NOT an old wives tale, it works and it works better than anything else. I fab a lot of stainless cable railing from steel tube and sometimes the client wants all the steel galvanized and then it gets welded on location. One time I forgot my respirator (all you really need is a dust mask, it's actually zinc oxide particles, not a fume) and welded the zinc-plated steel for about 4 hours. I felt HORRIBLE but drank a glass of milk and in a few minutes felt almost totally recovered.

metalmagpie

Victor Mansfield

07-05-2009, 01:10 PM

I remember doing some welding in a place where they were using TCE (trichlorethylene) as a degreaser, and the TCE combined with the heat of the arc created phosgene. Nasty nasty stuff. I think that the gov't here has basically outlawed mass use of TCE now.

kevin

07-05-2009, 01:59 PM

non flamable breakclean is a great product, it dosent burn, so its safe to have in the shop and dont have to worry about fires, you can not use it any where there is a flame and uncirculated air, an arc, torch, kerosene or propane heaters ect. no flames and it is ok, once a flame is present the chlorine sticks to the oxygyn in the air

MAC702

07-05-2009, 04:49 PM

...all you really need is a dust mask, it's actually zinc oxide particles, not a fume...

Actually, that's what a fume is. I think you meant it is not a vapor.

etonline

07-06-2009, 10:07 AM

The old style brake cleaners used to use carbon tetrachloride. Carbon tet by it's self is a problem....it was what was used in old style fire exthigushers and the one of the reasons it works is because it displaces oxygen. It is also a central nervous system depressant.

So before it turns to phosgene being heated it is a problem.