Isocyanates are a B*tch
I hate working with isocyanates.
I was warned. I was told to wear gloves and goggles. I was given the MSDS to the isocyanate. I wore the basic PPE, but I still reacted to it, and now it's gotten worse. My health feels like it is in steady decline at my job. Just two weeks ago, I took three days off because I was dizzy, nauseous, exhausted, and didn't feel well enough to work. Now, today I take my second day off work this week. Yesterday I was sick because of work. Unreal.
A little science background on this chemical. Isocyanates are organic compounds with the functional group R-N=C=O. Compounds with two of these groups are di-isocyanates. You can react these with a polyol to make a polyurethane (a polymer). There are different types of isocyanantes, and I work with one of the more commonly produced types that is supposedly less dangerous.
When I first started working with this stuff, I broke out in a red, itchy rash on both of my arms. I took photos of it, and I tried everything to bring relief to the itch. Nothing worked. I asked at work what it might be. Some people said perhaps poison ivy. I've never had poison ivy. I decided there was nothing to do except live through the rash.
Shortly after that rash left, I got a second one, exactly the same--red, itchy tiny bumps all over my arms. This time, I suspected it was something at work. I brought this up to the physician at work. He took the photos I had taken and put it in my file. He made notes and told me to wear PPE and be careful to note any changes.
I started noticing changes as I cut things on the bandsaw, so I started wearing my respirator when I cut things on the bandsaw. I would otherwise break out into a coughing fit, watery eyes, and have trouble breathing for the rest of the day. It was suggested it might have been something else nearby. I thought it was whatever I was cutting.
In April, I had my annual physical. My lung test didn't come back very good; it shouldn't have decreased that much in one year. I was told I would be re-tested in June/July.
On Monday, I worked with this isocyanate. I wore safety glasses and gloves, but I managed to spill a little on my elbow. I instantly broke into a red rash (quickier than previously) and had difficulty breathing. My chest felt tight, and I started to cough. I was wheezing for the rest of the work day, and I had trouble breathing while walking up stairs (I'm proud to say I'm in damn good shape, and walking up stairs is not a difficult feat for me). I took some Benadryl and finished the work day, trying to hold my breath while being near the chemicals.
After work, I had promised a friend a run. I was still wheezing. It felt like what I imagine an asthma attack feels like when I tried to run to his house. I clutched my chest from the pain and tightness. I warned my friend, who has asthma, that I was not 100% (someone had stepped on my knee over the weekend and I was dealing with this allergic reaction). He understood. After our run, which I cut short, I began to have more trouble breathing. As I got into the shower, that's when the sore throat and coughing began on top of the wheezing and rash.
I took Tuesday off work because I was still wheezing and feeling sick. I think I caught/developed a cold/flu-like symptoms. I went in for a few hours today, but I felt like a truck had hit me, so I came home. I'm not wheezing, but I still have my red rash and feel congested (runny nose, cough, sore throat).
Anyone who knows me knows that exercise is a HUGE part of my life. Without running, biking, swimming, and weightlifting, I get very anxious and upset. I started feeling this way. No job is worth my health. Someone told me at my previous job, "Look after your health, because no one is going to care more about it than you." Needless to say, I've begun researching new places to live and new jobs to work...
I was warned. I was told to wear gloves and goggles. I was given the MSDS to the isocyanate. I wore the basic PPE, but I still reacted to it, and now it's gotten worse. My health feels like it is in steady decline at my job. Just two weeks ago, I took three days off because I was dizzy, nauseous, exhausted, and didn't feel well enough to work. Now, today I take my second day off work this week. Yesterday I was sick because of work. Unreal.
A little science background on this chemical. Isocyanates are organic compounds with the functional group R-N=C=O. Compounds with two of these groups are di-isocyanates. You can react these with a polyol to make a polyurethane (a polymer). There are different types of isocyanantes, and I work with one of the more commonly produced types that is supposedly less dangerous.
When I first started working with this stuff, I broke out in a red, itchy rash on both of my arms. I took photos of it, and I tried everything to bring relief to the itch. Nothing worked. I asked at work what it might be. Some people said perhaps poison ivy. I've never had poison ivy. I decided there was nothing to do except live through the rash.
Shortly after that rash left, I got a second one, exactly the same--red, itchy tiny bumps all over my arms. This time, I suspected it was something at work. I brought this up to the physician at work. He took the photos I had taken and put it in my file. He made notes and told me to wear PPE and be careful to note any changes.
I started noticing changes as I cut things on the bandsaw, so I started wearing my respirator when I cut things on the bandsaw. I would otherwise break out into a coughing fit, watery eyes, and have trouble breathing for the rest of the day. It was suggested it might have been something else nearby. I thought it was whatever I was cutting.
In April, I had my annual physical. My lung test didn't come back very good; it shouldn't have decreased that much in one year. I was told I would be re-tested in June/July.
On Monday, I worked with this isocyanate. I wore safety glasses and gloves, but I managed to spill a little on my elbow. I instantly broke into a red rash (quickier than previously) and had difficulty breathing. My chest felt tight, and I started to cough. I was wheezing for the rest of the work day, and I had trouble breathing while walking up stairs (I'm proud to say I'm in damn good shape, and walking up stairs is not a difficult feat for me). I took some Benadryl and finished the work day, trying to hold my breath while being near the chemicals.
After work, I had promised a friend a run. I was still wheezing. It felt like what I imagine an asthma attack feels like when I tried to run to his house. I clutched my chest from the pain and tightness. I warned my friend, who has asthma, that I was not 100% (someone had stepped on my knee over the weekend and I was dealing with this allergic reaction). He understood. After our run, which I cut short, I began to have more trouble breathing. As I got into the shower, that's when the sore throat and coughing began on top of the wheezing and rash.
I took Tuesday off work because I was still wheezing and feeling sick. I think I caught/developed a cold/flu-like symptoms. I went in for a few hours today, but I felt like a truck had hit me, so I came home. I'm not wheezing, but I still have my red rash and feel congested (runny nose, cough, sore throat).
Anyone who knows me knows that exercise is a HUGE part of my life. Without running, biking, swimming, and weightlifting, I get very anxious and upset. I started feeling this way. No job is worth my health. Someone told me at my previous job, "Look after your health, because no one is going to care more about it than you." Needless to say, I've begun researching new places to live and new jobs to work...
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