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A few years back there was a study that showed A@Ps,engine techs, and the like had a cancer rate that was 600% the national average. Maybe this is due to our exposure to solvents, paint,grease, Skydrol, etc.Is there anyone else out there that has been effected.

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This profesion is also a high stress job which leads many to smoking. When I used to work on night shift we would have cookouts around 2 in morning with brats, steaks, burgers etc... When the manager comes in the morning, he would bring us trays of dougnuts and coffee. Coupled with all the shop supplies we use are pretty much hazmat. Anyone who has ever had to take off floor boards and change landing gears will have to deal with Mastinox. This tube of good stuff comes with a skull and bones warning on the box itself just to reminds us how toxic it is. So I would say the combination of the life style and the toxic stuff we use to maintain airplanes does contribute to a better chance of getting cancer if heart attacks doesn't get us first.

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Spent 25 years in aircraft engineering from age 17, and 20 years flying. Early days we used the now banned Carbon Tetra Chloride(CTC) for cleaning wiring etc in u/c bays. Later on flew as flight deck in B757/767 and L1011. Lost a kidney to cancer at age 59. Allegedly smokers get it most. I am a non smoker and extremely moderate drinker. Unlucky? Maybe. :hmmm:

Edited by viscount806x
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I had to have a large part of my lymphatic system removed 11 years ago and then again 6 years back. I am now dealing with a bone marrow/blood platelet issue that as best I can tell is not genetic. Along with all the other chems and such I was exposed to a lot of Trichlorethylene. TCE

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I had to have a large part of my lymphatic system removed 11 years ago and then again 6 years back. I am now dealing with a bone marrow/blood platelet issue that as best I can tell is not genetic. Along with all the other chems and such I was exposed to a lot of Trichlorethylene. TCE

Sorry to hear all that SV. You are not having a good time of it at all. You mention 'trike'. I seem to recall that this was the so called 'safe' replacement for CTC! I hope that things buck up for you.

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We used to use a solvent called TurcoSolve which I think from memory had trike as one of its constituents. It has now been totally banned in Australia. There was another product that was fantastic for helping to loosen rusted screws, nuts etc. When it was found have some possible carcinogenic constituent in it the RAAF banned it on the spot and recalled all the bottles that were already in use. That was about 25 years ago. And Skydrol? Horrible stuff. At the Bicentennial Air Show at Richmond in 1988 an RAF tech visiting with the RAF's BAC-111 accidentally sprayed some in the eyes of one of the Russian techs visiting with the An-124. A couple of my mates had to do initial first aid then throw him into the tarmac van and rush him to 3 RAAF Hospital which is on the base at Richmond. Fortunately the medicos there knew exactly how to treat a Skydrol eye injury and he was fine within a day or two.

Ross.

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Can we get some references?

There may be outdated studies that have less relevant information for recent mechs. Maybe there have been subsequent studies highlighting some of the dangers faced in today's maintenance world.

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How about sniffing petrol (gasoline)? Sniff enough of that stuff in a short enough time and it'll fry your brain, much like cocaine or ice (crystal meth) or IV bath salts. Then again drinking enough alcohol will eventually fry your brain too, but that tends to happen over a much longer time frame.

Ross.

Edited by ross blackford
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I am a working A&P, most of what we deal with are business aircraft and some military. In our hanger we do it all, this means we work on powerplants (turbine and turboprops) and airframe (from the tires up). So with that said we are exposed to Skydrol, 5606, MEK, Toluene, Mineral spirits, jet fuel, etc..... Yes these are all bad items and a necessary evil in the field. The key is to be safe and use the proper safety equipment, can this always be done, no, but every tech/mechanic I know, know's the dangers. Heck our whole job is dangerous even with out the chemicals, we try to stay as safe as possible.

Dave Fassett

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A few years back there was a study that showed A@Ps,engine techs, and the like had a cancer rate that was 600% the national average. Maybe this is due to our exposure to solvents, paint,grease, Skydrol, etc.Is there anyone else out there that has been effected.

also include the metal alloys. Still nothing like Agent Orange

gary

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for the last twenty years or so most cleaning agents are water based, and have been extensively tested by the EPA. Mineral Spirits is still widely used, but not so industrially. It's main problems are not so much a carcinogen. Machining coolants are another story, and much of the issues are finally coming out. The real issue is with high temperature metals. Some of the base alloys are highly toxic! At least one of them in a dust form will kill you in less than an hour! Then the folks in the military move into depleted uranium dust! And well known issues with the powdered propellants.

If I were an aircraft tech, I'd be studying the MSD sheets daily! Your boss has to have them for you to read. The fine for not having them out for you is usually five figures or more.

gary

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How about sniffing petrol (gasoline)? Sniff enough of that stuff in a short enough time and it'll fry your brain, much like cocaine or ice (crystal meth) or IV bath salts. Then again drinking enough alcohol will eventually fry your brain too, but that tends to happen over a much longer time frame.

Ross.

Too true Ross.. A few years back I arrested a teenage boy of 18 and he used to siphon petrol(gasoline) out if cars and sniff it..

Died less than a year later..autopsy showed he had a tumor growing in his brain, and tumors were growing in his body and his lungs were cancerous,hence his death,,

I always thought that aircraft engineers, car technicians, car mechanics, and generally all people that worked with chemicals etc would be properly equipped and wire masks etc fir health and safety reasons..

There is a chemical company near MY home town and I see those guys wearing safety overalls over their clothing, hard helmets where needed and caps to cover their heads and masks at all times...

I just thought that when you saw aircraft techies etc that they had been given protective masks but that maybe they chose not to wear it , but reading everyone's posts I am truly horrified that so many people who worked in the aviation industry looking after the technical, engineering etc and who has handled, breathed in used etc had died ..

Sorry to hear that...HAS THE INDUSTRY IMPROVED their safety procedures etc to combat this issue of folk getting cancer from chemicals etc that they use in their work which are hazardous and detrimental to their lives..

Sir Vodka Hope you Are free of any other work related health problems..

I hope you are getting better and sorry to hear of your health issues ..

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Still nothing like Agent Orange

You can say that again. A guy I knew over here in the UK who was retired Supply had some bad form of cancer, turned out he used to unload drums of defoliant as part of his job in Vietnam.

Julien

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Can we get some references?

There may be outdated studies that have less relevant information for recent mechs. Maybe there have been subsequent studies highlighting some of the dangers faced in today's maintenance world.

This might be the sort of thing you are looking for.

http://www.defence.gov.au/health/research/shoamp/docs/Mortality_Final_report_Sept_2003.pdf

Cheers,

Jim

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I am a working A&P, most of what we deal with are business aircraft and some military. In our hanger we do it all, this means we work on powerplants (turbine and turboprops) and airframe (from the tires up). So with that said we are exposed to Skydrol, 5606, MEK, Toluene, Mineral spirits, jet fuel, etc..... Yes these are all bad items and a necessary evil in the field. The key is to be safe and use the proper safety equipment, can this always be done, no, but every tech/mechanic I know, know's the dangers. Heck our whole job is dangerous even with out the chemicals, we try to stay as safe as possible.

Dave Fassett

What you say is true now but it wasn't 20 plus years ago when I started in the Airforce. WHIMMIS only started in 1988 and it took some time to get up to speed. It wasn't always as accepted as it is now.

I recall doing some pretty nasty things in my early aviation days, we didn't know any better. So far, knock on wood, I don't know anyone who has become ill.

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for the last twenty years or so most cleaning agents are water based, and have been extensively tested by the EPA. Mineral Spirits is still widely used, but not so industrially. It's main problems are not so much a carcinogen. Machining coolants are another story, and much of the issues are finally coming out. The real issue is with high temperature metals. Some of the base alloys are highly toxic! At least one of them in a dust form will kill you in less than an hour! Then the folks in the military move into depleted uranium dust! And well known issues with the powdered propellants.

If I were an aircraft tech, I'd be studying the MSD sheets daily! Your boss has to have them for you to read. The fine for not having them out for you is usually five figures or more.

gary

It's called the Right to Know law. A list of all chemicals used should be kept onsite, with all the corresponding MSDS's.

It's on the employer to do whatever is necessary to make sure employees are not exposed to any harmful chemicals, including routine training, ensuring the stuff is stored, used and disposed of properly, providing all required personal protective equipment and if necessary, conducting air monitoring to make sure no exposure thresholds are being exceeded.

I also wonder if the work schedule has something to do with this? Lots of studies out there are now correlating your health with working nights. Since a good percentage of aircraft maintenance workers are on night shifts (especially with the airlines), could this also be a factor?

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It's called the Right to Know law. A list of all chemicals used should be kept onsite, with all the corresponding MSDS's.

It's on the employer to do whatever is necessary to make sure employees are not exposed to any harmful chemicals, including routine training, ensuring the stuff is stored, used and disposed of properly, providing all required personal protective equipment and if necessary, conducting air monitoring to make sure no exposure thresholds are being exceeded.

I also wonder if the work schedule has something to do with this? Lots of studies out there are now correlating your health with working nights. Since a good percentage of aircraft maintenance workers are on night shifts (especially with the airlines), could this also be a factor?

here's one for you to think about

Lt. Col. Paul Baily has been granted full disability benefits after flying a C-123 out of Westover AFB in MA. This was many years after the Vietnam War. After a close examination of that particular C-123 it was discovered to be heavily contaminated with Agent Orange. So what this means is that many times the bad stuff just doesn't go away!

gary

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here's one for you to think about

Lt. Col. Paul Baily has been granted full disability benefits after flying a C-123 out of Westover AFB in MA. This was many years after the Vietnam War. After a close examination of that particular C-123 it was discovered to be heavily contaminated with Agent Orange. So what this means is that many times the bad stuff just doesn't go away!

gary

Agree 100%. That stuff was some of the nastiest compounds ever made. It would have been next to impossible to properly decontaminate those Ranch Hand C-123's. They should have just scrapped them in Vietnam. Sad to hear that after all these years, another service member has fallen ill due to Agent Orange.

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A few years back there was a study that showed A@Ps,engine techs, and the like had a cancer rate that was 600% the national average. Maybe this is due to our exposure to solvents, paint,grease, Skydrol, etc.Is there anyone else out there that has been effected.

For one thing, one study means *nothing* in medicine. Six studies that all agree, yes. But one study, not a chance. I'm *always* skeptical of claims like this. The other thing to consider is the study itself. What kind of study was it? How was it conducted, and by whom? There's a maxim in medicine: correlation does not imply causality. In other words, I used a certain brand of shampoo and I had a car accident the same day, therefore the shampoo caused the car accident. Doesn't work that way.

There are lots and lots and lots of professions that have as much or more exposure to carcinogenic chemicals as aircraft mechanics do, and you don't hear that they have a 600% increased incidence of cancer. Cancer is a very complicated subject.

I wouldn't steer clear of A&P school just because of that study.

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