Pregnancy and ventillation in studio

Jewelry Discussion
41 
...I can't say whether the websites you cite are well-edited
because I don't know them; nor do I know anything about the book
you cited. But, if you check the OED (Oxford English Dictionary),
you'll find teratogen / teratogenic. You won't find tetragen or
tetragenic. Given the OED's encyclopedic nature, I tend to follow
its lead in terms of which terms are correct; they do a very good
job of keeping up with technical terminology and this is by no
means a new term.

Kim and Karen:

I don’t really know anything about this whole topic, so I did go to
the internet and simply put in "Define “tetragenic” and about 170
entries appeared. I checked on a couple of them and they produced the
following

Whether it is truly scientific, I couldn’t say,…you would have to
make your own decision on it, but just wanted to include this so we
had both views. Definitions follow:

Tetragenic : Any substance or agent that is capable of interfering
with normal embryonic development and can produce non-heritable birth
defects. Tetragenic substances are most often radiation or
chemicals.[xx] (definition taken from College of St. Benedict/St.
Johns University, Environmental Studies Program).

Tetragens and Birth Defects : A 5 page paper discussing the
tetragenic effectiveness primarily of methyl bromide, which requires
handling by certified individuals, and benomyl, a fungicide that
until relatively recently was considered so safe that it has been
used as a fruit wash to deter storage diseases in produce. They both
are tetragens, substances that can cause birth defects when the
mother ingests them during pregnancy. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
KStetrag.wps (Taken from the Health, Nutrition, Nursing & Secuality
Research Papers website).

“…Endosulfan affects the central nervous system, kidney, liver,
blood chemistry and parathyroid gland and has reproductive tetragenic
and mutagenic effects (Paul and Balasubramaniam, 1997).” This is
from: +Bioline International Official Site (site up-dated regularly). So it would appear
that “tetragen/tetragenic” indeed are terms in current usage.

Now having submitted these excerpts and their sources, I went to
Websters, Merriam-Webster, and several medical sites, and these terms
did not appear. I’m guessing that it’s a chemical term rather than a
medical term.

So, you must decide for yourself if they are valid or not. Because
the terms do not appear in the dictionary may or may not invalidate
them. Sometimes dictionaries are slow to catch up to modern usage.

For what it’s worth,

Kay

42

Teratogen comes from the Greek word Terato or teras, meaning
monster. The word teratogen was popularized in the sixties and
seventies with the Thalidomide disaster.

You can do a Google search on Tetragen (2 results) and on Teratogen
(81 full pages of results).

Connie

43 
I don't really know anything about this whole topic, so I did go
to the internet and simply put in "Define "tetragenic" and about
170 entries appeared.

There are, of course, literally millions of entries on the internet
with misspellings. The ease of using the internet guarantees that
the wioll not always be properly vetted.

While common use makes things “correct”, some of us believe that
dilution of language makes clear communication more difficult and a
poorer experience.

Noel

44 
Every once in a while, new solderers just forget where that torch
is pointed while they try to move or adjust or pick up something.

Yep, I’ve done that and nearly had a fire on my hands! You learn
from it though fortunately.

Regarding the holes in the wall, hubby’s already put too many holes
in the walls of our house for my liking. It’s like swiss cheese! I’ll
sort something out hopefully. Thanks for the suggestions.

Helen
UK

45

Thanks for you advice Stephen.

Imagine a rectangular room with large windows at both ends. My bench
is at the back of the room, in the corner so that I face the side
wall, with the back window sort of just behind me to my left. If I
opened that window and one at the front, I’d have some air flow,
hopefully with the fumes being carried away - certainly better than
having no ventilation.

Helen
UK

46 
Those MSDS sheets always make for scary reading! Is anyone else
using boric acid in alcohol as a flux? If so, what type of safety
precautions do you employ?

I quit using the alcohol. I use the boric acid marketed as roach
killer. It is extremely finely divided and clings quite nicely
without a liquid carrier.

Some years ago, I had a small spill and a spark cause me to burn
about three layers of skin off of the back of my hand. A couple of
minor blisters elsewhere. Took a good seven months to heal.

47

I’m confused.

All of this talk of “fumes” from a soldering station. In thirty
eight years, I have really been unable to detect any “fumes” from
soldering, unless I was soft or lead soldering. Certainly not from
hard soldering. I do very little soft soldering and never use lead
solder. I can’t imagine that that is a problem. The hard soldering
that I do once involved cadmium bearing solders which I understand
are hazardous, but I long ago gave those up not just because of the
possibility of ingesting a known carcinogen, but also because of the
possible contamination to platinum. Zinc is only a problem in extreme
circumstances and even then, the human body has the ability to
process zinc. Otherwise, I am just completely baffled. The boric acid
and borax don’t seem to be particularly hazardous, considering that
they have been household staples for thousands of years. If you are
concerned about carbon monoxide from the torch, I’d remind you that
more complete combustion as happens with a blue flame renders that
possible hazard to a more benign carbon dioxide. Can someone direct
me to a product from a torch other than CO2 & H20? What is it that we
are supposed to worry about?

48

Let’s not just sit back and allow our language to be bastardized
without a fight. Terato is greek and refers to monster. Tetra is
greek and refers to the number four. Genic is greek and refers to the
production of. Teratology and teratogenic are long standing medical
terms relating to the study of, and production of, monsters-or in
modern parlance congenital defects. Tetragenic is not a useful or
meaningful neologism but, rather, evidence of ignorance of the
etymology and meaning of our language. People who don’t care would
probably interchange etymology (the study of words) with entymology
(the study of creepy-crawlies).

Does anyone on Orchid want to give up the distinction between
synthetic and simulant.

In my book there is a right and a wrong and words have meaning!

Dr. Mac

49 
I'm confused. All of this talk of "fumes" from a soldering
station. In thirty eight years, I have really been unable to
detect any "fumes" from soldering, unless I was soft or lead
soldering.

Now I’m confused!

At one of the art centers where I teach, the vent system in the
torch room is really poor, and many’s the time I got a good
snoot-full of fumes when I was trying to help a student solder (put
my head downwind)-- very unpleasant. Using Handiflux or borax and
alcohol, silver, ordinary non-cadmium solders.

In my own studio, if I forget to turn on my vent when I am
soldering, the room soon smells fumey and (slightly) toxic.

So I don’t know what you are doing differently. No sense of smell,
perhaps? ;~)

Noel

50 
While common use makes things "correct", some of us believe that
dilution of language makes clear communication more difficult and
a poorer experience.

I’m with you there Noel. I am not a fan of diluted language and will
go so far as to say I hate this modern propensity to contract words
into “text speak”. My eldest son is 21 and works away in the week,
so we communicate via text. He sends me all these messages using
strange “words” made up of as few letters as possible, with numbers
included, eg. L8R. When I reply, I use every letter and piece of
punctuation that is necessary - no matter how many texts it takes to
get the message across (it doesn’t cost me any more). Perhaps I’m
being square?!

Helen
UK

51 
In my book there is a right and a wrong and words have meaning!

Yes, and when that meaning is diluted or lost, our communication is
dulled. If I may offer an off-subject example that is a pet peeve of
mine, let me draw your attention to the word “suck”, in a slang
context. Yes, slang enriches the language too.

This word used to be the greatest taboo, maybe even worse than “the
f-word”. To say something (or someone) “sucks” used to be reserved
for the absolute most extreme horrible situation. Now you here it
virtually every hour, and it has lost its power. Now, to my
knowledge, there is no word that has the ability to convey that
extreme, no word with true shock value (not counting racial
epithets, which are well on their way to meaninglessness too, but I
don’t mourn their passing!)

This is a genuine loss. We need out-of-the-ordinary words for
out-of-the-ordinary situations.

If we dismiss these differences as unimportant (between teratogenic
and tetragenic, stake and steak, advice and advise, nuclear and
nucular) we have to use extra words to make up for the loss of
distinct meaning. As in the above example-- we are now reduced to
adding a whole bunch of “verys” or “reallys” to convey extremity. As
in, “Man, that really really really sucks”. Not the same.

OK, I’m done.

Noel

52 
Some years ago, I had a small spill and a spark cause me to burn
about three layers of skin off of the back of my hand. A couple of
minor blisters elsewhere. Took a good seven months to heal.

Ouch!!! That’s a lesson to learn. My boric acid comes from a chemical
supply company and is an extremely fine powder too. How do you apply
it Bruce?

Helen
UK

53

Hi Bruce,

Can someone direct me to a product from a torch other than CO2 &
H20? What is it that we are supposed to worry about?

I think you are in many ways correct, and that the contemporary
jewelry studio is pretty safe. We don’t use many nasty solvents any
more, and other chemical exposures are less than they used to be in
the studio.

The torch, as you point out, does not do much beyond consume oxygen
and make carbon monoxide (ok this could be an issue, but I think
you’d have to try real hard, in a small confined space, with no air
access…)

As far as I understand it, if you are doing repairs then you may run
across lead, cadmium etc. This means avoiding old solders you bought
from a rock club person… If you are melting then you can produce
other metal fumes. Most metals can cause metal fume poisoning (I’ve
seen students do it with brass (zinc) and copper several ended up in
hospital) if heated very high, or as with the brass incident,
reticulated. Metal fume poisoning has flu-like symptoms, nausea,
vomiting, breathing difficulties, closed throat, headaches etc, all
of which are pretty noticable-and let youknow you’ve done something
wrong. It goes away, and leaves little permanent damage (I didn’t
want to say ‘no damage’ as I am sure you can really injure yourself
if you tried hard enough. Trade goldsmiths will often use straight
borax, or Pripps or batterns, and are not heating for very long
compared with silver workers and workers in brass and copper. Those
fluxes usually don’t have any sodium bifluoride in them and so don’t
produce the stinging, eye watering hydrofluoric acid residues that
are dangerous. Thus many trade goldsmiths won’t see that problem, but
if you work in metals needing long heatings and thick paste flux this
could be a problem.

I do not know about the so called safety fluxes, they don’t have
sodium bifluoride in them, but they do sting my eyes a bit when
heating, perhaps John Burgess can chime in on this…

Plain old borax cones should not, to my mind, produce any dangerous
fumes, but as always ‘it is a matter of dose’, and too much
concentrated exposure to anything can be bad for you.

It has been shown that if you worked all day every day, a production
job, (possibly with inadequate ventilation) then there have been
cases of bone cancer and other problems associated with long term
fluoride exposure.

Sometimes it is not about the everyday dangers, but about that one
time you do something stupid, with inadequate ventilation/protection.

best
charles

54 
The boric acid and borax don't seem to be particularly hazardous,
considering that they have been household staples for thousands of
years.

This is precisely the reason I asked about the fumes generated when
burning boric acid or borax. In its roach-killing and other
applications, it seems fairly innocuous but I’m not as sure about
burning it. I do think you are right that a lot of the health and
safety concerns quoted do tend to apply to cadmium based solders and
their replacements like antimony, etc. I am more than happy if our
modern solders pose no such threats as it makes life a lot easier
not to have to install exhaust systems, etc.

Helen
UK

55 
Otherwise, I am just completely baffled. The boric acid and borax
don't seem to be particularly hazardous, considering that they have
been household staples for thousands of years.

It is not the borax or boric acid that are hazardous unless you eat
them it is the other constituents to some commercial fluxes.
Chlorides, fluorides and hydroxides are present in many fluxes.
These can decompose to vapors that are hazardous to breathe.

Jim

James Binnion
@James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

360-756-6550

56 
use every letter and piece of punctuation that is necessary - no
matter how many texts it takes to get the message across (it doesn't
cost me any more). Perhaps I'm being square?!

I’ve heard that the pricing structure is very different in the US
than in the UK and Europe for text messaging on cell phones. It’s
been much more expensive here and therefore slower to catch on.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

57

This is a good basic setup and could be modified for more “bells and
whistles” by doing some of the following:

use a drier vent on the outlet to close when not in use.

use a small “box fan” (3"x3", 4"x4" etc.) like they use for
electronics, computers and such.

use a fan which can run off of a light dimmer and have speed control
on the fan install a “butterfly” damper in the duct to damp down the
air flow (cfm) install a filter to catch particles, this could be as
easy as having hardware cloth (screen) over the intake and attach a
piece of polyester pad with velcro (watch out for torch flame
burning it then) There are lots of variations to add to the
functionality of the exhaust system.

Also it would be good to visualize the air pattern as to where the
exhausted air will be coming from. Fresh air across you, then the
work, then exhausted out. (It kind of defeats the purpose if the air
comes across the work then into your face.) On a small scale it
shouldn’t be critical about sourcing “makeup” air to replace the
exhausted air but it can be a concern.

Hope this helps safety and comfortwise.

Dan Wellman

58 
My boric acid comes from a chemical supply company and is an
extremely fine powder too. How do you apply it Bruce?

I just dip it. The boric acid clings all by itself.

59

Hi Bruce and everyone,

You might also keep in mind that substances do not always have to be
toxic to be irritating and harmful. I know because I have irritant
triggered asthma (rather than allergy triggered). Just plain old dust
or saw dust can set me off. Burning fluxes and fire coatings when I
work do seem to have an irritating effect on my respiratory system,
even though I use an exhaust fan and try to minimize my exposure. I
am more symptomatic after long soldering sessions. Cumulative
exposure to irritants can cause some harm, even if the irritants are
non toxic. And increased inflammation means poorer lung function and
less oxygen in your system. Personally, I am addicted to oxygen and
hope to keep breathing it for a long time!

Just a thought. -Carrie Nunes

60 
I've heard that the pricing structure is very different in the US
than in the UK and Europe for text messaging on cell phones. It's
been much more expensive here and therefore slower to catch on.

That’s interesting - I didn’t realise that. I am on a monthly
contract where I pay a set sum and it includes so many free minutes
of calls and 300 free text messages. Everyone in the UK texts. It’s
now against the law to use a mobile phone whilst driving (obviously a
good thing), as they were contributing to too many accidents from
people trying to text while driving!!! You still see lots of people
doing it though. It’s one of those difficult to enforce laws - like
kids not wearing seat belts which is a real bug-bear of mine! Go past
any school in the afternoon and you see mothers collecting kids from
school, with the mother wearing a seat belt and the kids standing up
in the back. So many parents say the kids just won’t wear a belt but
it leaves me thinking “who’s in charge? The parents or the kids?!”

Ooh I seem to be on a rant today - sorry.

Helen
UK