XC92
Proven Member
- 1,573
- 362
- Jul 22, 2020
-
Queens,
New_York
I was working on my Talon's clutch slave cylinder the other day, which appeared to have a leak that was letting in air that was preventing it from disengaging the clutch. So I took it off and saw that it was pretty dirty, and cleaned it with shop towels and brake cleaner.
Naturally this meant getting some brake fluid on my hands, which was hard to avoid even with nitrile gloves, breathing in whatever fumes it gives off, as well as getting brake cleaner on my fingers and breathing it in. Both are known to be pretty nasty substances. Brake fluid dissolves paint, which says it all, and brake cleaner breaks down into phosgene and hydrogen chloride when heated above a certain temperature (not a factor when I used it), both capable of killing you. I worked on the car outdoors, but some exposure to both was impossible to avoid without specialized PPE, which I don't have.
Anyway, later that day I felt a burning sensation in my lungs. I attributed it to a short run I went on after I was done working on the car, after nearly a month of not running. But it may well have been the brake fluid and/or cleaner. The next couple of days, though, I felt extremely tired, like I could barely stay awake. Turns out that one of the side effects of brake cleaner is fatigue.
Has anyone else here felt either of these or other symptoms after exposure to either substance?
Naturally this meant getting some brake fluid on my hands, which was hard to avoid even with nitrile gloves, breathing in whatever fumes it gives off, as well as getting brake cleaner on my fingers and breathing it in. Both are known to be pretty nasty substances. Brake fluid dissolves paint, which says it all, and brake cleaner breaks down into phosgene and hydrogen chloride when heated above a certain temperature (not a factor when I used it), both capable of killing you. I worked on the car outdoors, but some exposure to both was impossible to avoid without specialized PPE, which I don't have.
Anyway, later that day I felt a burning sensation in my lungs. I attributed it to a short run I went on after I was done working on the car, after nearly a month of not running. But it may well have been the brake fluid and/or cleaner. The next couple of days, though, I felt extremely tired, like I could barely stay awake. Turns out that one of the side effects of brake cleaner is fatigue.
Has anyone else here felt either of these or other symptoms after exposure to either substance?