How common are Epoxy Resin allergies and what are there strategies for reducing the chance of building an allergy? I will discuss building strategies, materials choices and useful production work practices.
I have difficulty in writing this and am trying not to state more than is reasonable.
There is not much hard data around for home boatbuilding.
Just want to run through a few things with epoxy allergies, how other glues can be used and something of the history of boatbuilding in recent times. Inspired by Peter Thomas on the Storer Boat Plans Facebook Group.
How Common is Epoxy Allergy?
Zero-th law … Epoxy Allergies are not very common but it is awful to experience in many cases.
I’d love to be able to put some numbers on it. It is not a big area of research.
Perhaps I’m better placed than many to make some sort of estimate. I worked in supply of materials and kits and running classes and workshops for 10 years and another 20 years selling plans and following projects through.
But as an attempt to quantify my experience … if allergies are 5 in 1000 for small boats they are probably 15 in 1000 for big boats and increasing with age and bad weather conditions (enclosure – which is also a part of building big boats).
More on that later as it feeds into our strategies for avoiding sensitization to epoxy.
The Difference between Allergens and Toxins
First of all epoxy is less toxic than polyester resin. And in particular less toxic than the Styrene solvent.
It is less dangerous than many of the common boatbuilding solvents for paints and cleanup and less toxic than many wood dusts.
Additionally, quality epoxies are “high solids”. Epoxies have few components that evaporate and delivered to our bodies with each breath.
Toxins affect most people much the same as they directly mess with the operation of the body’s systems on the short or long term.
But this does not imply we should be complacent. Allergies can be a huge problem for some individuals. And it is difficult to know if we are one of them.
Who Gets an Allergy – Horses, Epoxy, Shellfish, Dust mites, Peanuts
It is a question of susceptibility to particular substances. Most people are only allergic to one or two things. So they avoid them.
There are no reliable ways to predict an allergy appearing.
The Two Components to Allergy for any individual – and one is under our control
1/ Susceptibility – Probably largely genetic
2/ Exposure to the allergen the individual is susceptible to.
Neither horses or shellfish are toxic and most people are totally unaffected.
Same with Epoxy
But there are specific components of epoxy that are allergens.
I’m allergic to horses. I look like the person righ, my eyes puff up and my lips and nostrils start cracking up. Lumps all over my inner limbs and then breathing starts to be restricted.
My mother is allergic to shellfish – not as badly as me with horses.
Which Customers were affected by Epoxy allergy.
Remembering that by far the majority of our customers never have a problem with epoxy – who is particularly susceptible?
I don’t think there have been any studies of how different situations affect the chances of becoming sensitised. If you know of any, please put links in the comments below.
My take on it was that we had a rash (sorry) of sensitised builders when I worked supplying kits and teaching classes.
Adelaide has atrocious chilly windy and drizzly winters.
The people who became heavily sensitised had similar risk factors
1/ Wintery conditions
2/ Large projects – 22ft catamaran, 40ft river cruiser after building a 31 footer.
3/ Working in some sort of tent or space, usually heated.
4/ They were smart and cautious with safety equipment but often didn’t move to fresh carbon air filters until the allergy had started – a last ditch effort to get their big boat finished.
These of course go back to the old check list –
- Minimise skin contact.
- Ventilation, minimise exposure to fumes,
- don’t use solvents for cleaning your body or clothes.
But there are also some building method strategies.
Lessons from a Wood Dust Allergy after 4 years boatbuilding
As we don’t know our susceptibility, we can control our exposure.
I’d never had asthma in my life. But, after 4 years working with Western Red Cedar in boatbuilding I needed daily Ventolin. I had been careful with dust exposure.
I’d blown it from an exposure point of view. I was pretty good at work, but I would usually go home, have a cool drink, and check email before having a shower. My whole apartment had become contaminated with wood dust.
I gained a new routine of showering straight after work, cleaning hair and beard as a routine and the allergy dissipated – no more ventolin.
Minimise Exposure to minimise the chance of an allergy and possibly to reduce its affects
Epoxy sensitisation and different epoxy brands and ratios
Sometimes the allergy can be to the specific epoxy chemistry – but gear up if you have an existing allergy and want to experiment.
OK, for people who do have allergies already. We found that several people who had allergies with epoxy mixes of a 5:1 ratio were OK with 2:1 or the System 3 1:1 epoxy (one of the few 1:1 epoxies I would recommend using – most are ill researched rubbish).
There are also “low allergen epoxies”.
I would not press the situation if the 2:1, System3 1:1 or a low allergen epoxy was successful and use maximums safety equipment to prevent a reoccurence.
Epoxy Allergy and a Strategy for Alternative Non Gap Filling Glues
The bad old days of dinghy racing maintenance and endless leaks … until epoxy came along. 9 out of 10 second hand boats even two or three seasons old would be endless work of grinding or peeling off polyester resined tape – it comes of real easy from 80% of the surface and sticks like hell to the remaining 20%.
And then we had to repaint the boat … again.
Non gap filling glues that require close fits and high clamping pressure (read the label). All the problems of this type disappeared overnight with epoxy. A GIS 15 years old or 24 years old is as watertight as it was when it was built.
This question came up because Peter wanted to build the Goat Island Skiff. And he was already allergic to epoxy.
Where is it OK to use different glues and what areas are best to do with epoxy?
Alternative glues are effective on many components of the Goat. But Epoxy is preferred in locations. I’ll attempt to talk about that generically.
Alternative glues are excellent used with the high clamping pressures and fits required by their specification
Places where tight fits and high clamping pressures are not possible and then (if possible) use epoxy for the few critical parts of the structure that are problematic.
The list of areas where Alternative Glues can be equal to epoxy
- The woodworker is highly experienced and provides the tight fits required
- When two surfaces are held together with high clamping pressures
- Any gluing of framing to plywood in the first instance where clamps have access.
- Gluing up of staves for centreboards, rudders and leeboards
- Gunwales, inwales and structure at the edge of plywood sheets
- Lamination of timbers
- Construction of square section or purely laminated spars – assuming adequate clamps.
- Centrecase assembly before fitting to the hull
The list of areas where epoxy is preferable :
- Bulkhead side arms and stem (variable bevels that have been approximated and the epoxy bridges the gap) unless the builder is capable of very good fits and can contrive clamping methods
- Putting the bottom on – clamping pressure not possible along a chine a long distance from the plywood edge
- Gluing the centrecase into the boat – temporary or permanent screws don’t provide sufficient pressure for alternative glues
- Mast step.
- Glassing the foils (or order them complete from Clint Chase or make yourself get someone really competent in glass work to glass them for you – surfboard makers use epoxy now or a really competent boat builder – tell them zero lumps and bumps or bubbles or they won’t be paid because they did not fulfil the specification. The staves can be glued up with alternative glues as the glass is the structure and the staves don’t need absolutely perfect bonding.
- And there is the question of the value of coating the hull with epoxy. It is such a big value for reducing maintenance – should it be risked
- Birdsmouth mast option would require epoxy for gap filling, but standard square hollowmast could use titebond 3 as it is particularly suitable. Other polyurethane or other glues used to correct specification everywhere else.
Work strategies to Avoid Risk of Epoxy Sensitisation -what every Epoxy user should understand
Experienced builders usually use a dry assembly method. Mostly for efficiency in Labour and Materials.
They fabricate the parts and clamp or screw them in place without any glue to check fits. Then glue when everything is ready.
This is a labour and time saving device that happens in every professional workshop.
Dry Assembly Methods can be leveraged to reduce epoxy exposure.
- So dry assemble a bunch of components and then glue them up later in one hit using the bag method, then spread glue with a glue stick used like a butter knife, then assemble into the original holes with the temporary screws. And the most important thing … Shut the door and walk out.
- Don’t have a tea break in the workshop – get out and breath the air.
- After completing a phase have a shower, wash your hair and don’t wander around the house dirty. This also avoids the more common wood allergies.
The Perils of Vinegar for Epoxy Cleanup
The Advantage and Perils of Vinegar – a must use for personal cleaning but don’t get it on the work!!!!!!!!!
Clean your hands and clothes with vinegar or one of the purpose made citrus based lotions.
NEVER use vinegar on brushes etc – one drop of vinegar will stop a square metre of epoxy from going off on the final coat – it will never ever harden.
Rinse your hands well!
On a More Cheerful Note – Our Boat Plans
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