Melissa. Other uses, such as use by professionals outside industrial installations or household use by individuals is forbidden. Every 10 minutes or so I would have to leave and go outside because my eyes burning so bad. I have been thinking about reglazing our kitchen countertop (tiles). Pre-leasing now launched at 595 Dean St., the newest rental development in Brooklyn's vibrant Prospect Heights, The roommate dilemma: It's much more expensive to rent an apartment in NYC all by yourself now. I had my tub reglazed recently. I dont know of incidents that may have occurred, buy you can never be too careful with peoples lives. I regret it so much! They take the dirt out but also take part of the glaze, he says. What a great reminder to always plan for and wear personal protective equipment. /box. However, you need to keep these essential health and safety considerations in mind whether you hire a contractor to refinish your tub or do it yourself. I didnt think too much about it. Theyll also ensure adequate ventilation during the project, if necessary deploying powerful fans with duct extensions to exhaust hazardous vapors to the outdoors, says DeClerico. Bathtub Refinishing matters should be left to professionals to complete. Our tub was just resurfaced today I was told six hours after they got done we could return to the apartment and stay the night just cant use the tub or take the tape off for 48 hours is that safe? [Its] a great way to make a grimy, stain-ridden bathtub look new again, says. Ms. Scott thank you for your interest in our blog Dangers of Bathtub Refinishing and your question regarding how to assess exposure to toxic vapors. For consumer concerns such as this you may want to contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It was not difficult and required no chemicals; the refinisher evidently did a very poor job of it. OSHAs Methylene Chloride standard (29 CFR 1910.1052) requires employers to test the air to determine the concentration of methylene chloride present in the air when a product containing methylene chloride is used (29 CFR 1910.1052(d)). For consumer-related questions after the tub has been refurbished, please contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission. I live in low income housing, a few years ago they said my tub need to be refinished. (Removing a tub and installing a new one can cost thousands, and if youre in an apartment building, it might even require getting your downstairs neighbor involved as it may impact plumbing beyond your apartment. I have tried a couple of my wifes lotions to easy the burning, which has only made it worse.. any suggestion on what to take the stinging away.. keep blogging~! However, we have shared the findings of this work and made recommendations to manufacturers and with agencies that may have regulatory/legal authority, including those with oversight beyond the workplace. God bless you! IF THE GLAZED TUB IS SCRATCHED LATER DOES THAT RELEASE TOXIC FUMES? Does anyone know what would cause the reglazing to peel and chip from the tub? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. I am ok with both tub and tile appearance until I can afford a replacement/bath remodel. Some will work but they require 24 hours of wet saturation and even then they require a lot of hard work. Just trying to speak up for low income and maybe other apartment dwellers too. Technicians have been properly trained to do this type of work. Concessions return to the NYC rental market as recession fears slow leasing activity, The pros and cons of buying a penthouse apartment, Racism and the lack of diversity in the appraisal business, Making sense of the NYC real estate market with Jonathan Miller, The Brick Underground Podcast: Predators in the NYC rental market, with Hannah Levintova from Mother Jones, The Brick Underground Podcast: Protecting against fire and floods in your NYC apartment, The Brick Underground Podcast: Finding a deal as NYC landlords pull concessions and raise rents, The Brick Underground Podcast: Trading your NYC apartment for a cheap(er) vacation. Our apartment filled with these toxic fumes. Please, if you know anyone who refinishes bathtubs, make sure they are VERY AWARE of the dangers and the different situations. The NIOSH studies pertained only to workers who were applying methylene chloride directly, and we have not studied consumer-related exposure such as you describe. on the dangers of isocyanates in coatings and application hazards. We have absolutely no ventilation in our apartment. Very good to know, Ill let the pros do it from now on, and let my readers know the same! Effective ventilation would have to be ensured in order to shield the worker from toxic fumes of the process. He also had a small fan in the bathroom window to remove the fumes, as well as towels on the floor to prevent odors from coming into the living area. In workers with heart disease, an increase in carbon monoxide may lead to early onset heart attacks and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Takes longer and cost more but the client can pay the labor or feel free to do it themselves. Brooklyn resident Emily Gilbert had her familys tub and part of the bathroom wall reglazed four-and-a-half years ago (, Moving to NYC after college? Today, my apartment filled with fumes, and I feel sick. Methylene chloride is a volatile liquid and would have fully evaporated shortly after the project was completed. What if your bathtub could be transformed in one day from embarrassing to your bathroom's sparkling centerpiece? https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/09/21/17991/common-solvent-keeps-killing-workers-consumers. My concern is whether it is safe to take long soaks in this tub. Ron, I have a similar question to the one already asked. You may want to contact Product Safety Australia http://www.productsafety.gov.au, who assists with consumer concerns like the one you posted. Read more about our comment policy . Wearing a dust mask should not be confused with fitting a respirator with organic cartridges. Lead poisoning is a serious risk for young kids. It is definitely a good idea to ventilate the area as much as possible to remove the residual vapors. Very helpful and will definitely be one of the things to look out for on my rehabs.. Great article. I found out the hard way. discovered that the fumes were coming through the vent in her bathroom. Thanks! My friend was left to work alone in the small enclosed space, with out supervision. If you have a tub that has seen better days, but you dont want to remove and replace it completely, then you may need to have it reglazed or refinished to restore it to its original state. very good and helpful post thanks to author. However, we have no information about the risks that might arise to the resident from exposure to the flaking surface of the refinished tub. I am a 48 year old single woman, who tries to do everything myself, and I am really concerned about how dangerous this is. We do not have any information about leaching of polyurethane/acrylic bathtub finishing. Who cares what a bathtub looks like as long as it works? Perhaps this us not the case. If youre nervous, leaving your apartment for the duration of the job is always an option. So glad I read this. Let the physician or health care professional know the specific products and chemicals used and the environment you were working in. If you feel you are in danger, you should contact your local emergency services for assistance. Unless you have access to all the necessary protective clothing and equipment and are confident in your bathrooms ventilation system as well as your DIY capabilities, you should hire a professional to handle it. Its also useful to mention that there are different types of chemicals which use MC as an active ingredient. Thanks for your comment. Use a qualified occupational safety and health specialist to assist in the design and installation of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to effectively control vapors to below applicable PELs. share Share. Specifically, typical mobile LEV units have a fan, flexible ductwork, and a hood near the tub that exhausts hazardous vapors to the outdoors. Contact me via e-mail njtragroup@gmail.com and send me your ideas. Alternative products and processes exist for bathtub refinishing. A bathtub replacement can cost around $2,900 on average and may add value to your property. Workers often spray or pour a bathtub stripping product into the basin of the bathtub and then brush the product onto the tub surface. Im not aware of any can anyone point me in the right direction please? I think this post was very helpful in knowing the bad effects Bathtub refinishing of such dangerous products. Methylene chloride is a volatile liquid and will fully evaporate shortly after the project is completed. The standard also sets a 12.5 ppm action level (AL) which triggers periodic monitoring and medical surveillance provisions. If methylene chloride was used to strip the old paint off of the tub prior to refinishing (the focus of our blog), it is a volatile liquid and would have fully evaporated shortly after the project was completed. I usually like to do things myself, but I think I will have to find someone to do my bathtub repair in concord ma. NIOSH research and prevention efforts focus on worker risk, so we are not able to address this kind of exposure. The Environmental Protection Agency provides general information and resources on indoor air quality in apartments, see https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/indoor-air-quality-apartments. Bathtub stripping vapors must be taken seriously. The use of methylene chloride can be reduced significantly by professionals. Bathtub Refinishing vs. Liner: Whats Right for Your Home. So, it presents no long-term hazard to the resident. What separates a good job from a not-so-good job is not so much how it looks, its the prep. Stripping products may also contain flammable solvents and flammability may be a concern. After working in retail for many years, my mother retired, began buying and refinishing furniture. NIOSH work in this area only pertains to workers exposed when using stripping agents containing methylene chloride during bathtub refinishing. Bathtubs should be refinished every seven to 10 years, or more frequently if there is significant damage, stained, or you (or your homes previous owners) havent been cleaning your bathtub the right way. What is an escalation clause and what are the risks? Half-mask respirators may NOT be used because methylene chloride may cause eye irritation or damage.