Mineral Spirits?

[Lee DeRaud]

You can go too far, though. I've often wondered why the extremely dangerous chemical DHMO (dihydrogen oxide), which is responsible for several thousand deaths each year. A good site on this very common chemical is at http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html Its absolutely chilling to see that is a very common component of nearly every dangerous chemical that has already been banned from households!

Oh good grief. You almost have to wonder if that site is a spoof, because some of the "facts" they cite are just plain silly.

Examples: They quote surveys that claim that 85-90% of the population supports a ban on DHMO, then claim that the reason there is no such ban is that "nobody knows about DHMO" and that support for such a ban is "not politically viable". Under "common uses", they include such gems as "used in abortion clinics" and "used by members of the Church of Scientology".

Sounds like people with waaaaay too much spare time on their hands.

[Jim Becker]

Lee, of course it's a spoof! But it does show, as you point out, that folks will agree about many things they don't understand or do any research about...

[Lee DeRaud]

Lee, of course it's a spoof!

Whew! Thanks!

But I've seen even sillier ones that aren't.

(The ultimate "junk science" spoof concerns the grave dangers of "oxygen dihydride". )

[Jim Becker]

(The ultimate "junk science" spoof concerns the grave dangers of "oxygen dihydride". )

This one may be worse... Very different stuff from dihydrogen oxide...

[Frank Hagan]

Yep, there are many ways to refer to the very common chemical that the page covers.

The point about the "80% support a ban" is that when people are given the MSDS on it, and then asked to read it, then asked if it should be banned they almost always answer "yes." They don't realize they are asking to ban something absolutely essential to life.

My daughter uses sodium chloride's MSDS to train new employees. The chemical name is blocked out, and she has them read the MSDS and say if they would be comfortable working with it in the lab. They usually say "no" ... and the scary part is these are people who have degrees in biology. They are smart enough to know that sodium chloride is common table salt, of course, but the warnings in the MSDS are scary enough to make them uncomfortable about it.

[Paul Prescott]

DHMO responsible for several thousand deaths per year? No ... far more than that ... just count the drownings in swimming pools.

[Lee DeRaud]

Sigh. I must be denser than average today: I kept reading "DHMO" as "DMSO" (a somewhat controversial but relatively harmless chemical)...and then suggested an alternative spoof to the one in the link.

And also totally buggered up a reference in a post to the laser forum.

Can we rewind the database to sometime last week?

[Jim Becker]

Don't worry about it, Lee...I often suffer from dyslexic typing...thank goodness for spel chekers!

[Martin Shupe]

I sent Kerry a link to this thread. Here is his response, in its entirety, posted expressly with his permission:

Hi, Martin,

It's good to hear from you.

I'm not surprised at the reaction your posts on mineral spirits received. One of the magazines that wouldn't print my article on the subject did allow me to write a letter to the editor which-- with some abridgements-- they did run. After the letter's appearance, several readers wrote the magazine to say that-- while they were sorry I'd gotten cancer-- there was no reason to think I'd gotten it from mineral spirits.

And I would have said the same thing three years ago. I would have said "I've been using mineral spirits every day for thirty years, and I don't have cancer." Then a month later, hairless, I was on my back in the oncology ward with two plastic lines running from an IV pole through an incision in my chest wall directly into my heart. I was watching as a nurse who had double-gloved her hands (because the stuff they were pumping through me was so toxic) hung the fourth bag of chemo I'd received in the last four days. I was thinking about the fact that, at that point, my odds of being alive three years in the future were less than 20%. No more woodworking. No more family. No more anything.

I'm not a doctor, but my oncologist is, and he said my particular strain of lymphoma can likely be traced to a lifetime of unprotected exposure to mineral spirits.

Do I know this from research I have personally conducted? No.

But when I take my car to my mechanic and he tells me I need a new transmission, I don't insist that he show me the studies on which his conclusion is based. I go to him because he knows more about my car than I do.

I would have posted this on your thread, Martin, but I'm not smart enough to figure out how, but if you'd like to quote from this note, please do.

(Now finish your chair.)

Kerry

Martin's comments: I did not post on this thread to start any argument. I just want everyone to be aware of potential hazards, and to take the precautions that they feel are appropriate. Personally, I pray that Kerry will continue in remission and live a long and productive life. If any of you want to take a great chair class, he is teaching a Shaker rocker class at Marc Adams next summer, and it will be wonderful.

[Joseph O'Leary]

Martin, Thank you for the heads-up.

[Don Baer]

since I work in the Health and safety field I tend to rely heavily on the American Council of Goverment and Industrial Hygenist web site to look up the effect of chemical on the human body. I looked up Mineral Spirits and found that although it is not listed as a carcynogin it is definitly listed as a hazardous material. The OSHA PEL and the ACGIH TLV (8 hr exposure limit is) 100 PPM that refers to the fumes. 100 PPM That would mean if all of the room was 1,000,000 parts the concentration of MS fumes can exceed 100 parts. SO I would say use it in a well ventelated area and avoid skin exposure. Pretty much wh it says on the container...

[James Carmichael]

Keith, 50% is epidemic. I'd have to see the stats this doctor is talking about, but in the mean time I think this is over the top.

Phil,

I think you got your population backwards there. The doctor didn't say 50% of woodworkers using MS regularly get cancer, it's 50% of the victims of a rare lymphoma were woodworkers who used MS regularly.