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CA Glue - Over exposure

Kyle Young

Kyle Young

Joined
Aug 3, 2023
Messages
6
Likes
3
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
I'm new, but I have seen plenty of opinions on CA glue already.
I had a project that called for a lot of CA glue and coffee grounds to fill up a ton of tiny cracks. I have used it before and didnt think much of it. Later that night, my sinuses lit up and I took on cold symptoms for almost 48 hours. My guess is a chemical burn in my sinus. Anyone else do this?
More concerning is for a few weeks, I would easily break out in an random itchy hive if I started scratching my leg or elbow, etc. Its gone away now. But it has me worried that A) I've burned too many brain cells to avoid this again. B) I may have a heightened allergic response to a woodturning remedy that is super helpful.

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Kyle Young said:
I'm new, but I have seen plenty of opinions on CA glue already.
I had a project that called for a lot of CA glue and coffee grounds to fill up a ton of tiny cracks. I have used it before and didnt think much of it. Later that night, my sinuses lit up and I took on cold symptoms for almost 48 hours. My guess is a chemical burn in my sinus. Anyone else do this?
More concerning is for a few weeks, I would easily break out in an random itchy hive if I started scratching my leg or elbow, etc. Its gone away now. But it has me worried that A) I've burned too many brain cells to avoid this again. B) I may have a heightened allergic response to a woodturning remedy that is super helpful.

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Kyle - I have never had your kind of reaction. I have had my nostrils and eyes burn a little. For the most part I wear a versaflo powered air respirator with a chemical filter when working with ca. I cannot smell it and my eyes appreciate it.
 
Kyle,
I had exactly the same reaction to CA. I used CA as a finish on a pizza cutter handle. By the time I was finished my eyes were burning and shortly thereafter my sinuses swelled. This lasted a couple days. I now use CA for small, quick, repairs and if it starts to smoke I exit the area. No more CA as a finish.
 
I have felt some CA off gassing in my sinuses when using "a lot" of CA. I think there is enough heat generated to help volatilize some of the CA monomer. I've seen light puffs of vapor and when you inhale it the enzymes/moisture in mucus membranes will cause some of the monomer to degrade which makes it feel acrid in my nose. This is similar to what you experience with horseradish/wasabi.
 
I use it when needed, and I get the burning eyes and nose even with open ventilation in the shop. No permanent reactions yet... but I do know a guy that used CA a lot in model flying aircraft construction. He lost his sense of taste (long before the Covid pandemic).
 
Wow, Kyle. How we suffer for out art! I use CA in many variants frequently, and I try to take it outdoors whenever it isn't snowing.

I'm curious though about your project that involved coffee grounds, since I also use the CA-coffee combination on occasion. Maybe you could share some examples?

Here's an Instagram link to a cafe tap handle set, installed. The cracks and voids were filled with espresso grounds and CA:

View: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrE4i0eO9oc/


And here's a link to a short video about them: Coffee Mob tap handles.mp4
 

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Fumes from normal grades of CA, especially from the thin viscosity versions, irritate my nasal passages and eyes.

Starbond makes a "no odor" version which is much more pleasant to work with: https://starbond.com/products/odorless-thin-ca-glue-3d-infiltrant-no-05

It has some drawbacks compared to their "superfast thin" standard grade: almost 50% more expensive, a little thicker so it doesn't wick into fine cracks as well, shelf life seems shorter. But it doesn't make my eyes and nose burn...
 
Kyle Young said:
I'm new, but I have seen plenty of opinions on CA glue already.
I had a project that called for a lot of CA glue and coffee grounds to fill up a ton of tiny cracks. I have used it before and didnt think much of it. Later that night, my sinuses lit up and I took on cold symptoms for almost 48 hours. My guess is a chemical burn in my sinus. Anyone else do this?
More concerning is for a few weeks, I would easily break out in an random itchy hive if I started scratching my leg or elbow, etc. Its gone away now. But it has me worried that A) I've burned too many brain cells to avoid this again. B) I may have a heightened allergic response to a woodturning remedy that is super helpful.

View attachment 60178
Click to expand...
hi Kyle, I first started using CA as a pen finish about 15 or so years ago. At first, I didn't have any major adverse reactions to it, but over the years that has changed for me. I have always used ventilation and air circulation but for the last 4 or 5 years - in addition to lots of fresh air circulating, I also make sure to wear my 1/2 mask respirator with the chemical cartridges. But sometimes, depending on how close I need to work, or if I don't get the air flowing in the right direction- it can still sting the eyes a little bit.
I have also tried a few of the Parfix CA viscosities and have found that I have had no adverse reactions when using them so far - I still use the air circulation and mask but there is no residual CA fume/odor in the shop & no stinging eyes ---
 
If I'm using very much CA I do it at the lathe with the dust collector turned on. This draws sufficient air across the piece and into the DC that I'm not affected by the fumes.
 
All the interest and information that has surfaced this thread was started has made me start thinking about my exposure to CA. One of my most-used adhesives is a product called Rapid Fuse, which I believe is still sold by Dap. I use it for making contrasting laminations, and many projects require 6 or 8 veneers pressed together tightly, often only 2 at a time per step, and the session might take 45 minutes to complete the sequence. Like the OP Kyle Young, I have experienced mysterious but intense itching on my lower leg (but with no discernable rash) which I slather with lotion to dispel. I also use Stewart Macdonald Super thin and the whole range of Loctite CA adhesives in cue making and repair. I never have kept track of whether the itching episodes correlate to CA exposure, but I intend to do so from now on. For the past month I've been working on small spindle turnings from single-species blanks, and haven't done any CA glue-ups.
I intend to pay close attention the next time the CA comes out of the refrigerator, just to see if I've been blind to a reaction to a toxin. If so, I'll be grateful for this thread.
 
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