this is my last post for a while...

[FALKEN]

i cannot imagine how much I have learned since discovering this site. I have a tendency to overthink everything. So this has been quite a match for my personality. I really do appreciate all of the help. I am going to enjoy lurk mode for a while. So..my last question is....

I now have a ton of rigid fiberglass sitting in my garage. I am a city boy and not really the "hands-on" type. so the idea of building anything....maybe I should have shelled out the 3k to ethan for everything I want to build. But it is what it is what it is.

Ive got some Johns Manville 2" FSK. and some 12" diameter 1" think tube piping insulation (36 feet) which I am going to use to make tube traps.

The box it came in says "warning, may be carcinogenic"...

And it sort of smells funky.

So my plan was to cover it in plastic painter's sheets, as suggested in another thread. but it has occured to me that plastic will not pass the "breathe through" test. and will almost definitely limit the usefulness of the tube traps, due to the air pressure not being allowed to equalize.

I am now thinking that plastic might be a bad idea. I am building 18 panels in addition to the 12 tube traps. So a lot of time, money, work....I dont want to have to go back and re-do it all over again. So here I am asking questions and over-analyzing it all to hell. It seems to me that any fabric which passes the "breathe through" test will also pass fiberglass fibers, or at least the smell. Everyone says that you want to wear a mask when you handle it, but once it is settled you are OK. well, what about gobos? I am going to be moving these thing around constantly....

so really I am at a fork. I decided to build two at first, without the plastic, and see how they turn out. I am just looking for more opinions. I really appreciate all of the help I have gotten...I really can't wait till everything is finished. I dont even want to record anything until then. anywayz, thanks.

[Ethan Winer]

> Everyone says that you want to wear a mask when you handle it, but once it is settled you are OK. <

See my post about this in the other thread.

[Rod Gervais]

FAlken,

As far as the warning goes - because of the fact that our country is sue crazy - companies have to cover their butts any way they can.......... that's why companies that sell screwdrivers put warning lables on them telling people to avoid poking themselves in the eyes with them - it could cause blindness......... when I was a kid we didn't need to be protected from our own stupidity like that - and no jury back in the 50's or early 60's would have given some idot hundreds of thousands of dollars for pouring a cup of hot coffee over her crotch while driving a car with it between her legs.......

But that isn't the society we live in today.......... so any thing that might be remotely possible - even though proven to not be probable - has to be covered.

I'm copying here something from the forum I moderate at RO.

Folks,

People have heard all kinds of stories about fiberglass and it's hazzards. It has been stated:

I mean that cutting fiberglass can be a bit of a health hazard because the fibers, which are a known carcinogen, are released into the air and can be inhaled. Studies have shown that glass fibers from a stationary piece of rigid fiberboard will not be released into the air in significant numbers, especially when the board is covered in fabric, but you should definitely wear gloves and some type of facemask when cutting 705. I'm pretty sure that a paper mask will be enough, but you should definitely double check me on this before you start.

OK,

There have been more than a few questions/statements regarding health issue relating to fiberglass in the past few weeks - and tis time to maybe put the "myths" to rest.

It was reported in the late 80's early 90's about the possibility of fiberglass being a possible carcinogen - and many claims from various sources since then that it actually is.

However the following comes directly from the American Lung Association:

Direct contact with fiberglass materials or exposure to airborne fiberglass dust may irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat. Fiberglass can cause itching due to mechanical irritation from the fibers. This is not an allergic reaction to the material. Breathing fibers may irritate the airways resulting in coughing and a scratchy throat. Some people are sensitive to the fibers, while others are not. Fiberglass insulation packages display cancer warning labels. These labels are required by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) based on determinations made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

1994- NTP listed fiberglass as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" based on animal data.

1998- The American Conference of Govern- mental Industrial Hygienists reviewed the available literature and concluded glass wool to be "carcinogenic in experimental animals at a relatively high dose, by route(s) of administra- tion, at site(s), of histologic type(s) or by mechanism(s) that are not considered relevant to worker exposures".

1999- OSHA and the manufacturers volunta- rily agreed on ways to control workplace exposures to avoid irritation. As a result, OSHA has stated that it does not intend to regulate exposure to fiberglass insulation. The voluntary agreement, known as the Health & Safety Partnership Program includes a recom- mended exposure level of 1.0 fiber per cubic centimeter (f/cc) based on an 8-hour workday and provides comprehensive work practices.

2000- The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reported that epidemiological studies of glass fiber manufacturing workers indicate "glass fibers do not appear to increase the risk of respiratory system cancer". The NAS supported the exposure limit of 1.0 f/cc that has been the industry recommendation since the early 1990s.

2001- The IARC working group revised their previous classification of glass wool being a possible carcinogen. It is currently considered not classifiable as a human carcinogen. Studies done in the past 15 years since the previous report was released, do not provide enough evidence to link this material to any cancer risk.

Here is the link if you wish to check it out yourself:

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35439

In addition i would point out that the American Cancer Society does not even take the time to reference fiberglass.

The advice given above - protecting both your body and lungs from this product - that makes sense - but the claim that the product is a known carcinogen is not recognized by any government agency of any country that i know.

The only claims I know that support the cancer myth are made by fringe groups not recognized by any govt or medical agencies that i am aware of. Apparently without any hard scientific backup to support the claims.

Be safe - be smart - but don't be afraid.........





Now - all of that having been said - I've been in many MANY professional studios with cloth covered gobos containing fiberglass - and not seen any problems.

So just wear proper clothes and a decent face mask when you work with this stuff - and beyond that don't worry - it is not going to be a problem.

SIncerely,

Rod

[K-dub]

But Rod...

I frankly don't believe in breathing...so how the heck are you?

Kev.

[FALKEN]

Thanks ethan, rod.

so what about the funk??

[Rod Gervais]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

Thanks ethan, rod.

so what about the funk??

Falken,

The funk will go away once the material airs out.

Rod

[Rod Gervais]

Originally Posted by K-dub

But Rod...

I frankly don't believe in breathing...so how the heck are you?

Kev.

LOL,

Kev,

How the heck have you been? I'm as busy as all get out.......... not a whole lot of spare time right now........ but I'm breathing - even though I still suffer from oxygen deprevation depravation occassionally.........

Beats the hell out of some of the possibilities though.........

Rod