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Anyone here get sick from coolant ingestion??

viper

Titanium
Joined
May 18, 2007
Location
nowhereville
I am now sick yet again. Anytime I run the machines many hours on end, I get sick. Always in my lungs. I am using Blaser Universal coolant. Because we have more machines than people, it is not uncommon to have a machine sit for 1-2mo. I use a vac to remove tramp oils right now. I was going to look into buying or building mist arrestors but have not got to it.

Are there other coolants that might be better for my situation? Pretty much sucks because it is always when I am really busy that I get sick. The shop does not operate without me so I am sitting here shivering with a 101 temp.

I am not sure if a skimmer would fix all of this or what but I am frustrated.......The Blaser people of course will not admit that this happens and say if I "baby my coolant like I have nothing else to do" it should be fine. They go so far as to say if I am at the right concentration, I should not see all this coolant loss when running face mills at 10,000rpm... I think that is BS. I have to admit, if I lose 5-10gal/day of coolant, where is it going??? Duh....
 
I worked with a guy many years ago with the same coolant allergy. We were also using Blazer in that plant IIRC. He was moved into programming but it was near enough to the floor, and having to go out to verify programs, caused frequent flare-ups. Eventually he had to breathe with an O2 tank when at work. Probably cooincidence but he was in the first round of layoffs. I heard through the grapevine that he was back running CNC lathes at his next job and having no problems. Wonder what coolant they were using? -Mike
 
Well, believe me, I really don't like bringing my whiny story to the forum but something has to change. That is if I can definitively ID the coolant as my problem. I was thinking that by allowing the coolant to sit for so long could be a problem. I have been wanting to add an aquarium oxygenator to my coolant tanks just to see if that will keep things stirred enough to help me.

I have run machines day in and out for years on other coolants and never had issues. They were run daily though. I was also thinking it could just be coincidence that I get sick. Not sure...... Maybe it is swine flu........
 
Take a sample of your coolant and send it out to your local laboratory and have it analyzed for bacterial count. My bet is your coolant is full of little invisible bugs because all the bactericide is gone from sitting.
 
SSSHHH!!! Viper, if the operators get wind of this they will want hazards pay!!!

I use Trim SC200 from MSC and run skimmers in all my machines, never had any problems.
 
You may want to try a full synthetic coolant. No mineral oils to feed the bacteria. The Blaser Universal is a soluble oil coolant, and over time the bacteria and other nasty bugs feed on the oil stock in the coolant, not to mention your lube oil setting on top of the coolant.

Definitely get an aquarium bubbler. And a mist collector. Mist collectors aren't cheap, but with your issues, I would have one on each machine.

If you change coolants, get a good full synthetic. It will be expensive. Cheaper synthetics can rust your machines/parts, and may sacrifice tool life.
 
I agree with CNCToolcat. If you can, go to a full synthetic coolant. We used a semi-syn for years. I had a few upper respiratory infections during this time. Breathing all that air bourne bacteria is not good for a person. We now use a full synthetic from Valcool. I really like it. It lasts a lot longer in the sump without going rancid. It is a bit pricey. We purchase in 55 gallon drums, costs around $600 per drum. It is a lot of money but could be a deal depending on how much you are spending on down time and medical bills.

Just my 2 cents worth. I have no affiliation with Valenite products.
 
Get mist extractors on your machines to remove the coolant mist that is created and whenever you are cleaning out sumps on a machine make sure you wear a respirator designed to remove fine aerosols and organics.

You are right on track for developing a chronic condition because there is a good chance every time you expose yourself to the coolant aerosol your sensitivity increases. Eventually this can develop to a state where the smallest whiff triggers a response.

Not guaranteed to happen but if you want to perform the experiment of carrying on the way you are then the not-so-old guys you sometimes see with a tube up their dragging an oxygen bottle on a little cart could be a role model.
 
It could be the bugs growing in the coolant, but what always happened to me was it seemed like an infection, but it was really just irritated inflamed throat and lungs, Which could LEAD to an infection since your throat is irritated, I found that when I went to the doctor and thought I had strep throat or something, a sore throat that would not go away.
You really need a vent system. If you walk into your shop and it smells like a machine shop, you need venting. And every shop smells like a machine shop that I have ever been in!
The last machine shop I worked at used to look like a sauna near the end of the day. They just installed vents before I got laid off.
I always had a sore throat in the winter time when working there. Thought it was just a cold winter sore throat, no big deal. But realized that its because the doors were shut, they did a study on it and levels tripled in the winter.
It makes a huge difference. Anything that comes into contact with hot metal and spraying around is going to become airborn and can irritate. I have even used simple green in a hot pressure washer which is very, very mild as far as cleaners go, and even that gave me a sore throat before.
Coolant seems to be like cleaners, the better they work, the more dangerous they are.

My better half was with me at IMTS with all the machines running, and said why is all that smoke in there, they were just running shows and you could see the room full of mist and smoke. had a very sore throat the next day, it did not bother me at all. I was probably used to it. But that doesn't make it better for you.

Even if it did not irritate you, I still recommend ventilation. Think of that oil in the air you are breathing in, if smoking is bad for you and makes tar buildup in the lungs, imagine what oil can do when every breath is coming in with it, at least with smoking its only for a few minutes then fresh air for a while.

When I was younger I used to sandblast with only an ordinary dust mask on, paint cars with the same, I remember when I had to pick paint out of my nose sometimes. Worked in machine shops with no vents filled with mist and smoke, Rode a dirtbike on slag dumps every day in the summers and came home with black stuff stuffed up in my nose, etc.
Now I am wishing I didnt do some of those things, I have yet to have a problem but the childhood asthma that was gone for years is slowly coming back. It makes you wonder if you were more careful back then, if that would have made a difference.
 
Viper,

I really don't like bringing my whiny story to the forum but something has to change.

That's not whining, it is a real problem, and thanks for sharing the info.

I worked at a shop in the late nineties, and they used Mantek coolant. Out of 15 machinists, about 5 or 6 had hand problems. Our skin would crack and bleed. It didn't matter how much hand lotion, Vaseline , etc. we tried everything and it wouldn't go away. Another salesman came in one day and I asked him about hand lotion or something for the problem. He said it was some kind of dermatitis, and caused by the coolant. The boss had a big drum but wouldn't change. The owner found out and let the allergic ones use soluble oil in their machines.

When the Mantek rep came around, we confronted him about it. He said the cutting oil and way lube was causing a reaction with the coolant. This was why our hands were breaking open. :confused:

We switched to something else, but it took about 2 or 3 years to get my hands back to normal.

They same shop did a lot of metal spray. I bought a respirator and they teased me about it. I was getting nose bleeds everyday in the winter with the doors closed. After about 6 weeks, half the shop had respirators.

Different people have different reactions to stuff.

You better keep yourself safe.

Let us know what you do, and how it works out.

Your info will be helpful,;)



JAckal:)
 
I would change coolants. Even with a mist buster you get a lot of mist in the air everytime you open the door. And everytime you blow off parts. Worked in a shop with swiss lathes. All had mist busters. They even had a whole shop air cleaner. Still cloudy in there.
Your lungs are more important than the coolant.
BTW, we use full synthetic coolant. No problems yet.
 
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, this is most likely what I am fighting. The mist irritates, then develop an infection. I know I have a lung infection due to the way I feel, the fever, etc. Bacterial infection though so I am sure antibiotics would clear it right up.

I just rolled the ripe age of 30, do not smoke, plenty of athletics, healthy as a horse. Very seldom get sick. I own the shop and machines so I am in no position to benefit from this crap. We have several machines cram packed in a small building right now until we can build the new shop. I am sure the lack of sf is compounding the issues because the mist does not dilute in the air.

I am the only one that has shown problems but I am also the only one that will run a machine for 20hrs straight when things need to get done. Problem is I can not ID whether it is my fatigue or the coolant but I know this mist cannot be good and like I always say, "when I lose 10gal/day of coolant, where do you think it is going??"


Some good friends in another shop would like to add mist arrestors to every machine as well so I think we are looking to design our own mist busters and get this done. Probably fab them from sheet and bend up. No idea on a fan or filters just yet but something is going to happen.

I am also going to contact Blaser again and see if they have a different coolant we can try.
 
I used to have skin allergies caused by coolant, but I was able to fix the problem easily.

I rigged up a airline to go in the coolant tank, much like a bubbler you would put in to water your garden. I used 1/4 inch copper tube so it would sink to the bottom of the tank and ran 1 or 2 PSI air pressure just to keep the coolant moving when the machine sits for a long period.

Make your tube long enough that it can run down both sides of the tank, and drill about a .040 hole every 6 inches or so.

Turn the air off on the weekend so the tramp oil can float to the surface and you can skim it off Monday morning.

It worked for me and it was a cheap fix.
 
Although full synthetics resist bugs my toolbox has no paint on it and those vapors may be more harmful than bacteria for this reason. Aeration helps but a UV sterilizer is my answer for bug free coolant.
 
I asked specifically about a UV light over the coolant since that would be a rather easy install. Blaser tells me it will kill the good with the bad. I know the bubbler will be the easiest for sure.


I do not have any skin allergies to the coolant, just respiratory.
 
Ever since I have run machines with water based coolants I have gotten sick. It is wierd because it runs in a 3-4 month cycle. starts with fatigue fever and soar throat. sometime my fever would get to almost 103. my doctor couldn't understand why I kept getting sick but after listening to you guys it sounds like I may have the answer.
 
I sincerely hope I did not start an employee/employer party here.....

I know when I worked at an aerospace co in maint, we were called many times because people "saw" mold (actually a water ring on a ceiling tile) and started hacking. I that is why I am gone because I got tired of the BS and would just go grab the tiles and walk out with them and leave the ceiling open for a few days.


Not saying people would not have a legit gripe on coolants though. Hell, I don't have anyone to gripe at but the mfg of the crap I guess. maybe if I was a smoker with 30yrs of tar in my lungs, it would not bother me as much..... Oh, sh%^, now I am starting the smoke war too....
 
I am now sick yet again. Anytime I run the machines many hours on end, I get sick. Always in my lungs. I am using Blaser Universal coolant. Because we have more machines than people, it is not uncommon to have a machine sit for 1-2mo. I use a vac to remove tramp oils right now. I was going to look into buying or building mist arrestors but have not got to it.

Are there other coolants that might be better for my situation? Pretty much sucks because it is always when I am really busy that I get sick. The shop does not operate without me so I am sitting here shivering with a 101 temp.

I am not sure if a skimmer would fix all of this or what but I am frustrated.......The Blaser people of course will not admit that this happens and say if I "baby my coolant like I have nothing else to do" it should be fine. They go so far as to say if I am at the right concentration, I should not see all this coolant loss when running face mills at 10,000rpm... I think that is BS. I have to admit, if I lose 5-10gal/day of coolant, where is it going??? Duh....

Just switched from the same coolant as you, first tried a fully synthetic which was useless giving a poor surface finish and even rust on the bed. Have now switch to Castrol Semi Synthetic- I get a good surface finish, my machine is far cleaner with no mist or smell.
Ishy
 
So what is the down side of the semi-synthetic? You getting pain peeling? How about evaporation loss? Price?

One of the problems we have here is we allow the temp to get into the 30s here in the winter if no one will be in the shop for a week or so. This has always caused us some rust issues on the table, turrets, etc.


Why did you pull the plug on Blaso 2000?
 








 
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