We have a long history of working with and around epoxies daily. As builders and epoxy manufacturers, we’ve had a much higher risk of exposure to epoxy than the average builder or casual epoxy user. Through our own experience and the experience of other builders, we can estimate the likelihood of health effects from handling WEST SYSTEM resins and hardeners.
The following are the most common health effects stemming from epoxy use. Nearly all of us can prevent these problems. The majority of those who do develop a health problem can continue using epoxy with adequate precautions.
Contact Dermatitis
Fewer than 10% of epoxy users react when overexposed to epoxy resin or hardener. The most common reaction is contact dermatitis or skin inflammation. Both epoxy resin and hardener can cause acute contact dermatitis. Discomfort can be severe but usually disappears after stopping contact with the irritant. Repeated skin contact with resins and hardeners may also cause chronic contact dermatitis, which is usually milder but longer lasting. If left untreated for long periods it can progress to eczema, a form of dermatitis that can include swelling, blisters, and itching. Partially cured epoxy sanding dust, if allowed to settle on the skin, can also lead to contact dermatitis.
Allergic Dermatitis (Sensitization)
Allergic dermatitis one of the more serious health effects, but less than 2% of epoxy users are likely to get it. Allergic dermatitis is when the body overreacts to an allergen. Sensitization is the condition of being allergic to a substance. Your immune system and the degree and frequency of exposure to epoxy affects your chance of becoming sensitized. You are most susceptible if you have been grossly overexposed to epoxy or if you are inherently sensitized or allergic to a component of epoxy. You are also more susceptible if you have fair skin, if you’ve already been exposed to other sensitizing substances, or if you have hay fever, other allergies or are under stress.
You may become sensitized to epoxy after many exposures or just one. It could take ten days of exposure, a month, or even years. It is best to avoid all exposure because you cannot know ahead of time how much you can tolerate before you become allergic.
Allergic reactions to epoxy can result in irritated skin or respiratory problems. Irritated skin is by far the more common of these two health effects. Usually, it appears much like a reaction to poison ivy and may include swelling, itching and red eyes. Just as with poison ivy, the irritation can be mild or severe, acute or chronic.
Inhaling concentrated epoxy vapors, if done frequently or for long periods, can irritate your respiratory tract. Exposing sensitive skin areas, like the eyelids, to highly concentrated epoxy vapors may cause itching and swelling.
See a physician if irritation persists or worsens after avoiding epoxy for several days. There is no specific antidote for epoxy sensitization, but symptoms can sometimes be treated with medicine.
Once sensitized, additional (and sometimes increasingly severe) reactions become likely upon future exposures, even to tiny amounts of epoxy. It is difficult, but not impossible to prevent recurrences. Resume epoxy use only after symptoms disappear, and strictly follow the recommended handling procedures to prevent exposure. Read the product’s material safety data sheets (MSDS) so you can identify symptoms and employ preventive and first aid measures.
Severe Irritation and Chemical Burns
Hardener burns are uncommon. Mixed epoxy is unlikely to cause burns. By themselves, WEST SYSTEM epoxy hardeners are moderately corrosive. If left in contact with the skin, they can severely irritate it and cause moderate chemical burns. Chemical burns develop graduallyand first cause irritation and slight pain. The burn may discolor and slightly scar the skin. The time it takes for a hardener to cause a chemical burn depends on the area of contact and hardener concentration. When resin and hardener are mixed, the hardener is diluted and, therefore, less corrosive. Although mixed epoxy is less corrosive, never leave it on your skin. It cures rapidly and is difficult to remove.
Respiratory Irritation
Breathing highly concentrated epoxy vapor can irritate the respiratory system and cause sensitization. At room temperature, epoxy vapors are unlikely to be highly concentrated. However, if you are already sensitized to epoxy, exposure to low concentrations of epoxy vapors can trigger an allergic reaction. At warmer temperatures and in unventilated spaces, the epoxy vapor levels increase.
Never breathe the sanding dust of partially cured epoxy. Epoxy chemicals remain reactive until they have cured. Serious health problems can result from sanding epoxy before it is fully cured. When you inhale these dust particles, they become trapped in the mucous lining of your respiratory system. The reactive material can cause severe respiratory irritation and/or respiratory allergies.
WEST SYSTEM fillers present few hazards by themselves. However, breathing any nuisance dust will worsen existing respiratory problems. Smokers and others whose lungs are under strain are far more likely to develop serious respiratory problems.
We strongly discourage spraying epoxybecause it increases the amount of hazardous volatile components released from epoxy compared to other application methods.
If you have questions about the safe use of epoxy that’s not covered on our website, please contact our Health & Safety Department.
FAQs
When epoxy fumes are inhaled, they can affect the nose, throat, and lungs. Most symptoms from the inhalation of epoxy involve inflammation and therefore irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs. Repetitive and high amounts of exposure to these fumes can result in sensitization and asthma.
Can epoxy fumes make you sick? ›
Epoxy and resin can be poisonous if they are swallowed or their fumes are breathed in.
What is epoxy exposure? ›
The chemicals in epoxy resin systems can affect your health when they come in contact with your skin, or if they evaporate or form a mist or dust in the air you breathe. The main effects of overexposure are irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin, skin allergies, and asthma.
Can working with resin make you sick? ›
Both epoxy resin and hardener can cause acute contact dermatitis. Discomfort can be severe but usually disappears after stopping contact with the irritant. Repeated skin contact with resins and hardeners may also cause chronic contact dermatitis, which is usually milder but longer lasting.
How long does epoxy poisoning last? ›
Usually, the symptoms disappear from a few minutes to a few hours after the exposure ends, and they rarely continue longer than 24 hours.
What to do after inhaling toxic fumes? ›
If you have inhaled chemical or toxic fumes, you should get into fresh air straight away. Loosen tight clothing and open doors and windows wide. If you are with someone who has inhaled toxic fumes, seek medical attention immediately.
Can resin damage your lungs? ›
Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach are possible.
How toxic is epoxy? ›
Generally, one can say that the pure epoxy resins are considered as non-toxic, the risk of damage caused by ingestion of epoxy resin can be considered as very small.
Is epoxy cancerous? ›
Cancer. Tests on laboratory animals showed that older epoxy resins caused skin cancer. It is, most likely, due to epichlorohydrin, which probably causes cancer in humans as well. However, newer epoxy resins contain less epichlorohydrin, so they don't cause cancer in animals.
Do you need to wear a mask when using epoxy? ›
Provide ventilation and wear a dust/mist mask or respirator when sanding epoxy, especially partially cured epoxy. Breathing partially cured epoxy dust increases your risk of sensitization.
Skin contact can result in contact dermatitis, through irritation or sensitisation (allergic) effects. Photodermatitis (light responsive dermatitis) to epoxy resins can also occur. Dusts/sprays generated during a process using epoxy resins may act as sensitizers or respiratory irritants.
What are the side effects of resin? ›
You have started to work with epoxy resin but you have no idea about the adverse effects of epoxy on your health. Overexposure to working with epoxy resin could lead to a runny nose, irritation in the eyes and throat, itchy skin, shortness of breath, headaches, nausea, dizziness and lethargy.
What happens if you inhale resin dust? ›
If inhaled, these dust particles get trapped in the mucous lining of your respiratory system where the reactive chemicals can cause severe respiratory irritation and/or respiratory allergies.
Should you wear a mask when working with resin? ›
When sanding, grinding, or drilling resin, wear a particle mask or a NIOSH respirator approved for dust. It is important not to inhale the resin dust, which could cause an allergic reaction.
How toxic is resin breathing? ›
Epoxy resin fumes can be poisonous and harmful to your lungs. Difficulty breathing, coughing, and chest pain can be symptoms of exposure to such hazardous fumes. Furthermore, it can even damage your lungs or cause death in severe circ*mstances.
What to do after breathing in epoxy? ›
If you or someone you are with has an exposure, call the local emergency number (such as 911), or the local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States.
How do you treat a reaction to epoxy? ›
Treatment of contact dermatitis due to epoxy resin exposure
Washing the area immediately with soap and water should treat accidental exposure from glue or paints. Sometimes, solvents (acetone, alcohol, or methyl-ethyl ketone) can be used to reduce the exposure.
Can your lungs heal from chemical exposure? ›
Most people recover completely from accidental exposure to gases. The most serious complications are lung infection or severe damage that causes scarring of the small airways (bronchiolitis obliterans). Some studies have shown long-term impairment of the lung function years after episodes of exposure to gases.
How do you clear your lungs of fumes? ›
To ensure you can feel your best, give these lung cleansing techniques a try:
- Do Steam Therapy. Breathe in, breathe out. ...
- Drink Green Tea. Cleaning your lungs may be as simple as sipping hot tea—green tea, specifically. ...
- Invest in an Air Purifier. ...
- Exercise Regularly. ...
- Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods.
Some chemicals leave the body quickly after a person is exposed. Others may remain in fat, blood, or bones for a long time. For example, arsenic usually stays in the body for only 3 days after a person is exposed 1 time. Other chemicals, such as the pesticide DDT, can stay in the body for 50 years or more.
Epoxy products that contain volatile solvents may give rise to neurotoxic effects.
Why is resin so toxic? ›
Resin's that contain VOC's are classed as toxic because the heat given off during the curing process lowers the boiling point of the VOC's causing them to give off toxic fumes and vapours. Resins that contain VOC's generally have a strong odour or smell to them.
Can resin cause headaches? ›
Smoking reclaimed cannabis resin may irritate the throat or lungs or cause a headache. If you experience a frequent or severe headaches, sore throat, or trouble breathing, schedule a visit with your doctor.
Can you use epoxy resin indoors? ›
Epoxy resins are the safest of the resin types regarding harmful vapors. Epoxy is safe to use indoors, in most home areas or garage type application. If using in larger quantities, use of additional ventilation tools may be needed. Most often a fan will suffice for any given epoxy.
Is there a non-toxic epoxy? ›
ArtResin is the most popular brand of clear epoxy resin used by resin artists worldwide. ArtResin is ASTM certified (D-4236) non-toxic, non-hazardous, non-flammable, as there are no VOCs / fumes produced.
Is cured epoxy dust harmful? ›
Shop dust from partially cured epoxy can cause respiratory problems if inhaled, and dermatitis if allowed to settle on your skin. Dust from fully cured epoxy is chemically inert and considered nuisance dusts from a health hazard standpoint.
Do N95 masks protect against resin fumes? ›
Regular dust masks/N95 masks will not filter out the harsh chemical vapors created when resin and hardeners are mixed. When you apply heat to your resin pieces to create effects and pop air bubbles, those fumes are blown around and should not be inhaled.
How long does it take for resin fumes to go away? ›
The smell will stop being strong after about 8 to 10 hours. Resin can sometimes take 3 days to cure, but that is generally a hard cure. Once it is at the soft cure or demolding stage, the fumes won't be a problem at all.
Can you touch epoxy with your hands? ›
If you accidentally get resin on your hands, wrists or arms, it needs to be removed right away to avoid possible skin irritation reactions. Epoxy resin is sticky, so it's important to use the correct cleanser to remove it. Hand soap and water will not remove resin entirely from your skin.
What are the potential health effects that may result from exposure to the adhesive? ›
The chemicals in adhesive and sealant systems can affect health when they come into contact with the skin, or if they evaporate and form a mist or vapor in the air. The main effects of overexposure are irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin; skin allergies; and asthma.
Breathing epoxy fumes can affect the respiratory system. Typical symptoms of respiratory harm include inflammation of the nose, throat, and lungs, causing irritation. High amounts of exposure to epoxy fumes before and during the curing process can lead to sensitization and asthma.
Is resin dust carcinogenic? ›
While beautiful, these resin materials are loaded with a dangerous hormone-disrupting, and likely carcinogenic, chemical called bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether, or BADGE.
How can you protect yourself from resin fumes? ›
Wear goggles, safety glasses, gloves, a respirator, and protective clothing appropriate for the project. The bare minimum for working with epoxy is gloves, eye protection, and protective clothing. You can protect yourself from epoxy vapors by using a respirator with an organic vapor cartridge.
Are epoxy floor fumes toxic? ›
Breathing epoxy fumes can affect the respiratory system. Typical symptoms of respiratory harm include inflammation of the nose, throat, and lungs, causing irritation. High amounts of exposure to epoxy fumes before and during the curing process can lead to sensitization and asthma.
Does epoxy give off carbon monoxide? ›
During uncontrolled cure, mixed resin and hardener become hot and frothy as they thermally decompose, generating toxic vapors. These include carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, ammonia, and possibly some aldehydes. Cured epoxy can emit similar vapors if you heat it too much.
How can you protect yourself from epoxy fumes? ›
Wear goggles, safety glasses, gloves, a respirator, and protective clothing appropriate for the project. The bare minimum for working with epoxy is gloves, eye protection, and protective clothing. You can protect yourself from epoxy vapors by using a respirator with an organic vapor cartridge.
How do I get rid of epoxy fumes in my house? ›
Introducing some heat in the area where the epoxy is curing will help it dry faster and this will get rid of the smell. Curing epoxy in temperatures above normal room temperature will help it cure faster and turning up the heater can help with this.
Can I use a N95 mask for resin? ›
We ALWAYS recommend using a respirator mask. Regular dust masks/N95 masks will not filter out the harsh chemical vapors created when resin and hardeners are mixed. When you apply heat to your resin pieces to create effects and pop air bubbles, those fumes are blown around and should not be inhaled.
Is epoxy toxic after it dries? ›
Generally, one can say that the pure epoxy resins are considered as non-toxic, the risk of damage caused by ingestion of epoxy resin can be considered as very small. Most curing agents in use today have a certain toxicity. But it takes quite a large volume of harm occurring due precisely toxicity .
