Chemical useage & its effects on workers

L

Lukew

Well-known member
I was having a discussion with a work colleauge regarding the chemicals that workers in the printing sector are subjected too & the health effects both short term - long term that could arise from the constant use of such chemicals.

He has been in the industry for 30 - 35 years and said that I'm the only printer that he's worked with that has a concern of what negative health effects could arise.

I've only been in the industry for 12 years, so have many years to go but I spent the first 5 years with my head in the sand and never gave it a thought untill it clicked that constant headachs, tiredness & red eyes could be just some of the short term issues caused by the chemicals in the print room.

It was then that I did some digging and researching Cas# & was appauled what printers are subjected to day in day out.
Now admitadly a lot of the chemicals need a high PPM or for you to come in contact with it excesivly for there to be an issue, but if you are subjected to it for 10 - 40 years it is highly likely that there will be health implications down the track.


So I ask you fellow printers or consumable suppliers.
Does it concern you?
Do you research cas# before you will use a product?
Have you made the decision to erradicate your pressroom from all chemicals that are listed as hazardous to your health?

It would be great to hear your thoughts on this issue

I'm at the stage where my hands are tied behind my back, as there is not one chemical supplier in Australia that offer products that do not contain chemicals that are known to have health implications so all I can do is try and minimize the amount of times I come into contact with such products.
 
Been in the industry since 1977. Still living and relatively healthy, knock on wood. I'm not high enough up the decision making chain to have any input on what chemicals are used. I know that the chemicals that I used back when I first became a printer were a lot more dangerous and hazardous to your health than most of what is used today. Solvents were often very high in voc's. In fact, some of the blanket wash we used evaporated so quickly that you would get a buzz without even trying.
 
Dead Man Walking!

Started in flexo in the early 80's using the solvent perchloroethylene as a washout solvent for the printing plates. (Known carcinogen). Combine that with hand developing film with developer, fixer, etc. Back then, we were dumping it down the sink at the end of the day. No one told us we couldn't. As we entered the 90's, things started to change and the whole industry got a lot stricter.
Both of my parents died cancer related deaths. I smoke, I drink alcohol. I try to take care of myself by exercising and eating sensibly but I'm under no illusions that I'm going to make it to the ripe old age of eighty. (Nor would I want to, after seeing what my parents went through).
Every industry has it's hazards. If you're that concerned with how this industry is having an effect on your health, perhaps you should change your career path. All I'm saying is that you would have to be a little naive to think that all of these chemicals aren't having an adverse effect on you.

Just my two sense. Pardon the pun but, (Don't really have a sense of smell or taste anymore).
 
Deglazer or type wash was one of the chemicals I worked hard to have removed from our press room. We used to use at least 5 gallons a week with only two presses and wearing disposable gloves were of little help due to it would eat through them in a matter of seconds. Press operators would wipe blankets on our 4 color GTO and the fumes were right in your face. Glad that stuff is gone.

Our two worse smelling is MRC and V120. Supposedly the smell from the MRC is worse then the effect. I am sure it is pretty hard to get away from VOCs for they do the job better and faster then low VOC products
 
I’ve got most of you beat with time on the job

Started as a gofer on a new install Goss Suburban 3 unit web fed newspaper press back in July of 1961 still in high school been here ever since. Only difference is I’m # 1 on the seniority list of 50’ish + employees.

VOC have been a concern of mine for more years than I can remember. Back in the day we use to use a lot of bad press washes. The VOC’s were in the neighborhood of 85%+ we had a 12’ ceiling so any odor would hang for hours even the best rubber gloves wouldn’t last a week so we went without until I started getting a rash on my hands and then over the entire body after about a year of putting up with the really bad stuff. Got so bad I had to take a 9-month medical until my body healed. Dumb as I was I came back to the same crap I just didn’t use as much as of the junk we use to.

In the early 80’s I was promoted to press foremen and that’s when I started looking for a lower VOC press wash. All I was able to find was that if it’s good for the body and your health it’s not going to work well on the oil based inks.

I finally found Mirachem 100 5% VOC’s doesn’t work as good as the high VOC’s cleaners but it did work it just took longer.

In the mid 90’s along comes San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (San Joaquin Valley APCD Index Page) (we’re located in the California Central Valley a hour east of San Francisco and a hour south of Sacramento) with new rules on what we can use for everything in the pressroom. We were told that we had 9 months to come into compliance as wells as get a permit to print. What they told us is that we couldn’t use anything that was over 5% VOC. After working with US Ink on the oil based inks for what seemed a long time they were able to get all the inks at or below 5% VOC’s. The press cleaner was at less than 5% so we didn’t need to change our cleaner. We ended up getting a permit for 30 lbs of VOC’s each 24 hrs.

Valley Air was questioning the press cleaner we were using as they had been into several pressroom and every one of them were using cleaners at or above 80% VOC. Long story short we got the permit within 6 months.

I’ve had several new employees come and go and all of them didn’t like the Mirachem cleaner we were using but I told them that there liver and lungs will thank them in 30 years.

There is a ton of low VOC cleaners now as a result of Valley Air all you have to do is ask for samples. Take what works best for you and everyone will be happy.

With the new rules as of Sept. 2008 we could only use a press cleaner that was less then 2.1% or 25 grams of VOC’s per liter from the 50 grams we were using. What we ended up doing is mix 50% water to 50% Mirachem. Now it takes a lot longer to clean the rollers.
 
This links covers a much broader range of toxic chemicals.

ATSDR Home

management is exposed to the same chemicals unless their office uses only outside air that has been run through multiple levels of activated charcoal filters and they use special environmental gas mask http://approvedgasmasks.com/msa-milleniumCBRN.htm when in the shop.

Ask questions don't be a lamb when it comes to being exposed and how it can effect your health.
 
Last edited:
I know before I woke up to the dangers, I was using quick clean solvents such as Toluene etc to manually wash blankets without gloves on, meaning hands soaked in the stuff throughout the day for a good 4+ years. God knows what damage that has done, not to mention the washing of the ink ducts with the stuff and breathing it in all the time.
Added to that all the other nasty products used on the machine.

You can ask all the questions you like, but if there isn't an alternative product you hit a brick wall.
What concerns me is there is the current drive to reduce VOC's in products but the big chemical manufactureres are still failing to address the health issues.

I'm in a fortunate position, where by I get to choose what products I use on my machine, I'm not told by management what I have to use but it doesn'thelp when there are no alternatives to the nasty products available.
Nor does it help when the printer alongside you still uses toluene as a blanket wash, and roller washes based on aromatic and alliphatic hydrocarbons, the stinking nasty roller deglazers.

I would say the day I woke up was the day one of the printers had said his brother had won a law suit in regards to lung cancer proven to be caused by the chemicals he had been subjected to in the printing industry.
 
I find this quit hard to believe that no one else has had any friends or fellow work employees whom have experienced any health related conditions from chemical exposure.
 
Sustainable said:
I find this quit hard to believe that no one else has had any friends or fellow work employees whom have experienced any health related conditions from chemical exposure.
Click to expand...

The thing of it is that who knows for sure what may have caused their problems? I had a co-worker die of pancreatic cancer at the age of 50. He worked in printing for about 20 years. He also smoked for at least 25 years and he loved working on cars. I have no idea what caused his cancer. I have another former co-worker who has COPD and he was a printer for 30+ years. It's entirely possible that his illness was caused by the chemicals at work, but I have my doubts as he didn't change employment after receiving that diagnosis. Then again, he may have been to told find another line of work and ignored the doctor's advice. He's no longer printing now, but that's because our old plant closed.
 
A big step backwards in the industry here in Australia as of the start of March. The only company in Australia that had a drive to develop products that were a step in the right direction in terms of environmental safety in addition to their tradional petrolium products is closing it's doors.
Although the products didn't address the healthor environmetal issues from chemicals as much as what is available in the USA it was a step in the right direction.

It is unfortunate that print firms are choosing to use products due to there cheap price from the big chemical manufactures who only offer products that have a clear negative effect on both health and the environment.

When will management of these big print companies learn that the initial purchase price is not the real cost.

I'm at a crossroad now. Either Leave the industry, use the products that are available knowing fullwell the health implications that may follow down the track or personaly import products to use in our pressroom that don't contain nasty chemicals.

I know that there are industry representatives on this forum that work for the big manufacturers, the same manufactures that are available here in Australia. Please do put forth a solution.
Flint/Day international, Hurst/GSB, ABC/Allied chemisrty, Bottcher, Nikken, Kenwrick

Not asking for much just six products that are to be low VOC, petroleum free, contain zero Prop 65, Sara title 313 chemicals.
Fountain solution
Roller & Blanket wash
Metering roller cleaner
Roller deglazer/Colour change paste
Fount systems cleaner
Ink anti skin

Surprised there hasn't been more responses in this thread, Is health not important to fellow printers out there?
 
CD102 do you have to use any special chemistry in the packaging industry? I heard that there can be a lot of regulations in packaging. Is this a bunch of bs with someone blowing smoke?
 
Lukew said:
A big step backwards in the industry here in Australia as of the start of March. The only company in Australia that had a drive to develop products that were a step in the right direction in terms of environmental safety in addition to their tradional petrolium products is closing it's doors.
Although the products didn't address the healthor environmetal issues from chemicals as much as what is available in the USA it was a step in the right direction.

It is unfortunate that print firms are choosing to use products due to there cheap price from the big chemical manufactures who only offer products that have a clear negative effect on both health and the environment.

When will management of these big print companies learn that the initial purchase price is not the real cost.

I'm at a crossroad now. Either Leave the industry, use the products that are available knowing fullwell the health implications that may follow down the track or personaly import products to use in our pressroom that don't contain nasty chemicals.

I know that there are industry representatives on this forum that work for the big manufacturers, the same manufactures that are available here in Australia. Please do put forth a solution.
Flint/Day international, Hurst/GSB, ABC/Allied chemisrty, Bottcher, Nikken, Kenwrick

Not asking for much just six products that are to be low VOC, petroleum free, contain zero Prop 65, Sara title 313 chemicals.
Fountain solution
Roller & Blanket wash
Metering roller cleaner
Roller deglazer/Colour change paste
Fount systems cleaner
Ink anti skin

Surprised there hasn't been more responses in this thread, Is health not important to fellow printers out there?
Click to expand...

Until the chemical suppliers are sued extensivly or no longer can get insurance this will never change. Fuji photo in the US divested itself of its pressroom chemical business because very probable liabilities from benzene that was in its washes. Ask around about what happened to Rosos they are no longer in business.
 
Coastline said:
You may find some products of interest here: https://www.box.net/shared/29uatocpg2ozlj2hqbkl

Most notably:
High Fidelity Fount - low voc, alcohol free fount
Solvex - roller cleaning paste
A+B Systems Cleaner

If you want my to link some MSDS, let me know.
Click to expand...

Thankyou for the response. I have checked the high fidelity fount and it does not meet our requirement. The A+B systems cleaner looks like it will, not sure about the solvex, couldn't find the msds for that product.
High fidelity = 2 Butoxyethanol, ethylene glycol both sara 313 listed.
MSDS On File™
 
Al Ferrari said:
Although useful, that reference has a published date of 2001.

Al
Click to expand...

Al the publish date shows that this information is over a decade old and that this has been known for at least ten years and many times decades before. You will find that the health effects on many chemicals has been known and published for some products over 100 years yet they are still sold and used. With the proper paper work just about any chemical can be bought and used. This goes on everyday in every country.
 
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