Home
You Fix Cars Blog
 Car Repair Help
Auto Repair Manuals
Ck Engine Light Help
Tools Auto Repair
Auto Repair News
Website Policies
Feedback-Contact
Free CarRepair Books
Auto Repair Safety
Discover Auto Repair
Automotive Electrical
Steering-Suspension
Engines Automobile
Air Conditioning
Videos Auto Repair

[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

Auto repair illness

Image of high performance brakes

Auto repair illness or sickness caused by performing car repairs is another topic I wish we could avoid. Unfortunately as an old-school car mechanic, turning wrenches for more than 24 years.

I know more than one mesothelioma patient. Back when I started as an auto mechanic we were not protecting ourselves against asbestos related sickness or disease.

As professional auto mechanics, we may be exposed to asbestos dust more often than the do-it-yourself auto mechanic. But safety around this toxic material should be practiced by anyone who works with it.

Dust masks and respirators should be worn whenever you will be exposed to toxic fumes or excessive amounts of dust.

Cleaning parts with solvents and painting are some common activities during which respiratory masks should be worn.

But High efficiency respiratory masks should be worn when handling parts that have asbestos dust on them or when handling any hazardous materials.

Airborne asbestos fibers can be easily inhaled and might even be ingested if fibers get on skin surfaces and clothes.

This is a particularly difficult problem for diy car mechanics, since they often get grease on their hands. Asbestos fiber can stick to this grease.

Auto repair illness and asbestos

Asbestos has been identified as a health hazard. Asbestos is a term used to describe a number of naturally occurring fibrous materials.

It has been identified as a carcinogen and has been shown to cause a number of diseases that result in cancer. Asbestos caused cancer or mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer.

When asbestos fibers are taken into the lungs they can cause scarring of the lungs and cause damage to the lungs air passageways.

Obviously you want to avoid breathing in asbestos fibers and avoid bringing the clothes contaminated with this stuff in your house.

This toxic dust will be found when working with materials such as brake pads, clutch discs, and some engine gasket materials.

There are certain guidelines you should follow when working around these hazardous items.

The shop that I work in performs a massive amount of clutch replacements and brake jobs. The rule of thumb is to consider this friction material as containing asbestos when you work with it.

We are employing two methods of dealing with asbestos fiber dust. We have a specially designed HEPA vacuum cleaner to remove the bulk of the dust from the work area.

We also have a low pressure wet cleaning machine that is OSHA approved and a preferred method of compliance when cleaning these areas.

Auto repair illness and you

Be aware that when you perform your own brake jobs, gasket removal and clutch replacements that you should be extremely cautious with the dust created and present in the work area.

Never blow the dust and never use an air hose for cleaning these areas. As a do-it-yourself mechanic, you may not have the long-term exposure that me and professional auto mechanics have experienced.

But you also will most likely not have the advantage of HEPA vacuum cleaners and approved wet cleaning devices that we are now employing.

Protect yourself from becoming a mesothelioma patient by wearing protective respiratory devices as well as wearing disposable close and protective gloves.

Since I am not a doctor or a mesothelioma lawyer I'm going to supply a couple of links to extremely informative website that provides trustworthy Asbestos information.

The website I found that seems to cover this topic from start to finish is Automotive asbestos.com here you will find a lot of valuable information along with signs and symptoms mesothelioma.

Performing your own car repairs can be fun and rewarding. Make sure you protect yourself with all of the safety gear required to reap the rewards and avoid auto repair illness. Here you can find more information about auto repair safety



Help this Diy auto repair website grow with a Bookmark and Share



Find out what protective gear I use and were I got it. This next link takes you from auto repair illness to car repair safety gear



Find out why I have donated all of my paper repair diagrams to a local college. Also see a video of me using the latest online car repair manuals. This is the future of automobile repairs.





Search all of my automobile content and the Internet at the same time.

Custom Search




Find out more about this car repair website, and why the guy who constructed. It thinks that a lot of people can do their own repairs at home with a little auto repair advice


footer for Auto repair illness page