[TheForge] Removing Zinc and Cadium

[Jerry Frost]

Cadmium is very bad news if you get it in your system. 
It is a genuine heavy metal, is extremely toxic and 
without treatment.

Zinc on the other hand is a necessary element for your 
health, all kinds of biological functions rely on it. 
It's also water soluble so unless you go totally 
overboard it'll flush out of your system fairly 
quickly.

Jim (Paw Paw) Wilson killed himself by burning an 
obscene amount of galvy pipe in his forge and did it in 
a relatively closed area. Sure, there was a garage door 
open at one end but no real cross ventilation. He knew 
he was putting himself at serious risk and chased 
everybody else out.

Even after he dosed himself with seriously dangerous 
amounts he probably would've been okay if he'd gotten 
help sooner than 4-5 days AFTER he started feeling bad. 
Instead he waited till he was too sick to get out of 
bed and by time he went to the hospital there wasn't 
much they could do except make him as comfortable as 
possible.

To top it off Jim suffered from COPD.

Do NOT get me wrong, stay out of the smoke, dust and 
fumes as much as possible but don't panic if you see a 
little green flare and feathery blue smoke when you're 
brazing or otherwise working galvy. Unless you're 
health is already severley comprimised it isn't going 
to kill you or even make you sick.

If you're unsure of what you're getting into there are 
some common sense precautions you can take:

Number one MIGHT be to ask here but you have to bear in 
mind the old saying about asking two blacksmiths a 
question and getting three answers. So a sizeable grain 
of salt is called for from the opinions of this gang.

The REAL #1 is find out what the heck it is.

#2 is web search the material on the MSDS servers.

#3 is find the proper (appropriate) safety equipment, 
web searches for "fire and safety equipment" usually 
yields more info than you'll ever use.

#4 Know when to walk away. Everybody is different in 
almost all particulars. Some of us are more resistant 
to smokes or whatevers, some acutely allergic. We all 
have different comfort levels from blissfully uncaring 
about personal hazards to paralyzingly afraid. You have 
to know your own limits and respect them. This goes for 
whatever you do, where ever you are.

So, while this list may be a good place to start your 
research into materials safety it's certainly NOT the 
place to end it.

Have fun, play safe.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

From: "Peter Hirst" <saltydog335 at aol.com>


> So one would conclude that elemental zinc is not a 
> big risk, even in solution.  Electrolysis, however, 
> produces zinc oxide at the anode and god knows what 
> in solution.  Same, presumably, for cadmium.  Not the 
> same as running water through it.
>
> Keziah
>