The "paranoia" isn't just recent, concerns over chemical hazards from a variety of paint types goes back decades. While in general I'd agree that epoxy paints aren't the worst, it's still a very good idea to minimize exposure to their uncured constituents.
SUIT UNVEILS 9-YEAR COMPANY DEBATE ON WARNING FOR TOXIC PAINT ADDITIVE - The New York Times
So maybe your "can't even laugh" is due to your lungs being damaged from long-term exposure?
No s**t. G'Dad & his elder Brother both prominent printers, Pittsburgh, PA. Pre-War ONE ... and onward.
G'Uncle Pete a prominent Ripofflican, "biznessman", non-Union, worked P.R. Connell
from a desk, had a stroke or two, died of old age.
G'Dad was a staunch Democrat, Union Shop if ever was, worked his "New Era" printing's exotic German-made multicolor web-offset lithography press
AT the press. Tumour he was carrying when he died young about volleyball size. One of several litho printers of my acquaintance who fell to the same killer.
"Glaze Breaker"
AKA
Benzene.
Galis, we had a half-55 gal drum trough to wash the coal dust, grease, zinc-chromate paints, white lead, off our chip-welted bare arms.
Chlorothene-NU.
'nam we scrubbed the Oxygen plant floors, laundered our uniforms, washed oil off our own selves with 55 gallons a month worth of
Trichlor to prevent pure Oxygen and 100 degree-plus temps flaring us like flashbulbs.
Cleared the adjacent paddy to clear fields of fire for our gunnery with 500 gal de-con trucks filled with an herbicide called
Agent Orange.
WTF did any of us
know at the time?
And how is it one's skin ends up uglier than the patchy hide on God's alcoholic Uncle-in-Law?
Pay attention, kids:
Humans may be tuff critters, but yah don't HAVE to be in Kaliphoneyah for this s**t to kinda ..
..welll .... "push yer luck" might fit?
No fuss the five packs of menthol smokes a day. Lung cancer will just have to take a damned number and run it's puny ass off trying to catch up!