Last night, I was doing some building and used some epoxy for at tops 5 minutes in my room. When i came in my room to put pn my PJ's, I smelt the epoxy and turned the fan on high for ventilation. I didn't think anything of it this morning. I felt fine for a while, and couldn't tell a difference. Well, my mother came home and was sitting in the driveway in the car, and as i do daily when she comes home i went out to meet her. On the way out to the garage, I got dizzy, blacked out and ended up falling on a box fan. The box fan didn't hurt me, luckily and luckily i fell towards it, mainly because if i fell the other way it would have been wood, and front or back would've been concrete.

I woke up after about 15 seconds and didn't remember a thing. My mother then came inside and told me what i did, and a little memory started to come back. I went to the doc, and though he said i wasn't getting enough salt intake, i think it because of EPOXY. 30 minute doesn't effect me, but 5 minute always does. This could have been much worse. I go in tommrow to make sure it was just salt and get a EKG, i believe it is called, done.

Just be safe with epoxy and use plenty of ventilation. This could have been much worse, but thankfully it wasn't.

-Chad

Glad you wern't injured! Hope your EKG come out normal. I'm sure it will, or perhaps it will only show an unusual attraction to balsa wood!

Thank you for the important warning! Many of the materials we use in the hobby can be dangerous. Not only epoxy, but CA and other glues, paint, thinners and solvents, even Monokote gives off fumes when it's applied. Make sure to have lots of fresh air moving through your shop or work area! [8D]

Glad you didn't get hurt. It's probably salt. I know my kids and their mother only dring soda and on hot days they all hate me cause I make them drink water it is imperative to drink LOTS of water because we sweat out so much. We have to be careful with our adhesives as stated before but I'm guessing a lack of hydration is what caused ur blackout. Hope all turns out well

I have the same kinds of discussions with my wife. No matter how much I try I can't get her to understand that caffeinated drinks actually make thing worse. Chad, you drinking lots of water, or things like Coke, Mountain Dew, etc?

tsands, It was a combination of not eating anything the whole day and epoxy i think. I go in for the eKG at 12:45. I will be sure to let you guys know. I was talking to a friend and she said she has almost blakced out before also, and she said it just happens to her if she doesn't eat. So that might be it..

Piper, I drink at least 2 bottles of water each weekday and 4 a day at the field on weekends..

That's a good start. I drink a whole lot more. Food for thought. I did a bit of research, for notmal body function, we lose 2-3 liters of water per day. Obviously more when it's hot. Use this as a guide to decide how much to drink on hot days. I spent the last weekend at the pond racing boats. I tried to stay in the shade we erect over our tables, but I still ended up drinking a gallon of water. Yes, that's right, a gallon. When I got home I still felt thirsty and drank a bunch more.

I almost blacked out couple of times i started falling but hit the wall and came back in a moment i don't i think it can be from not eating much, because sometimes i get into work that i don't eat for 2 days! And my tiny apartment isn't a great to work either...Anyway thanks for warning because i didn't even think that it could be much worth.

Post removed due to duplicate below. Sorry

General rule of thumb that our medics used to pass on to us when my army unit was in the field on hot days.

When spending time outside during the summer months, you should urinate regularly (at LEAST once every 2 hours) and the urine should be clear.

Dark yellow urine, or a lack of need to urinate, is the earliest sign of the onset of dehydration.

For most people, this involves going through a quart (roughly the same as a liter) of water every 45 minutes.

It seems that everyone is missing the whole point of this thread. Pilot Chad has warned people that prolonged exposure to the vaoprs of 5 - minute epoxy can have serious physical consequences. While his doctor told him that it was because of lack of salt or water or something, he is convinced that it was the epoxy and everyone needs to heed his warning.

I don't think anyone is missing the point of this thread. The doctor, not Chad or any of us, is in the best position to determine what was wrong. Chad has already admitted he didn't eat enough that day. In the heat of summer, dehydration is a very real possibility. Anyway, I'm not going to try to play arm chair doctor, and I offered no advice on what I thought was wrong. I just saw an opportunity to remind everyone that while we're participating in our mostly outdoor sport we should remember to stay hydrated.

But also don't eat or sniff the epoxy!

I have had similar problems in the past when I lived in a dorm room(and built there too). Some fumes will indeed make you light headed and/or dizzy, but I've never passed out - usually it was the alkiehawl that caused that. (glad I don't do that much anymore!)

Easy solution - don't sleep where you build, or put curing adhesives somewhere else. The water thing is important too, but not the subject of this particular thread.

Chad, Hope you're ok and doing better - might want to take the building easy for a few days just in case. Give your body time to get back to normal(if possible!)

CWRR5,
I have taken building easy. Haven't built since. And have drank a 64 ounce thing of gatorade each day after.

Chad,
You have found out that Epoxy and the summer heat don't really mix. Yes just the epoxy can cause that to happen. Dehydration can also cause that to happen. I became hypersensitive to epoxy/polyester resiens and would break out in a very itchy rash every time I touched the stuff. As a few have allready said, it is just something to watch out for and to keep the work area will ventilated.

Cheers.

The Ghost,
I have very sensative skin and have also broken out before. (Swolen eyes etc..) It will do alot..

Chad,
If you can do yaur epoxy work outside, if not work on yory work area to get very good ventilation going and wear surgical gloves.

Cheers

Not trying to pry, but did the doctor come to any conclusions?

Gatorade's cool, but 64 ounces is alot of carbs. When I'm doing long bike rides, anything over an hour, I add powdered gatorade to the water, but at half strength.

Hey Chad I just saw a photo of you, I know what your problem is, you need some meat on you bones, not eating no wonder your'e ill. My advice is Eat and don't sniff the glue.

Piper,
after the EKG came out good, the doctor said it was because i was not getting enough salt, and is making me drink gatorade for the next week or so.

i find that if you put too much CA on something and don't have ventilation it will make you feel dizzy thats why when usually happens to me i just walk away and take a 15 minute brake to have something to eat or when you get too close to your fuel and get a good smell of that you'll go a bit light headed

Good to hear it was nothing serious, and that the "cure" is so simple. Gatorade is much better than some of the things I had to drink for "medicinal" purposes when I was young.

I have used all types of epoxy and CA for all kinds of applications without any adverse reactions. I avoid any physical contact with them to avoid a cummulative reaction. I primarily build with aliphatic resins. My use of epoxy and CA are very limited.

I'm with you Lightfoot. My main adhesive is Elmer's Carpenter's glue. I use CA for very very limited uses (hardening threads, hinges, etc). When it comes time to work with epoxy I always wear gloves to keep it off of my skin. With CA and epoxy I also ventilate the area so I don't have to breath in the fumes.

I know this could have been bad for Chad, but a little common sense goes a long way. I know that many people avoid doing this, but when all else fails read the instructions. Try looking on the side of the epoxy bottle. The wording may be a bit different, but the message is the same:

"WARNING: May cause skin and eye irritation. Contains polymeric hardener. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. In case of skin contact, wash thoroughly with soap and water. In case of eye contact, seek medical attention. Do not take internally. Use in well ventilated area. Keep out of reach of children"

I know that some are in too big of a hurry to actually read the instructions and warnings, but it could very well save your life to do so. If the safety warning is read and followed you can avoid lots of problems

Hopefully Chad's experience can point out that it's well worth the extra few seconds it takes to actually read the warnings and instructions.

Ken