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Hello all,

I recently read a post by one of our most esteemed friends here about naphta having some level of toxicity. I mean, apart from actually drinking it. As I've been using the stuff for many, many years to clean fretboards and ultra-dirty finishes in general without any health issues (so far), I did a search and sure enough found info form the US Gov about this.

I'm not too nervous about it, but nevertheless I'll start using nitrile gloves, but it seems the fumes themselves could eventually lead to problems down the line. I'm already using masks while meeting customers, so I'd prefer not to use one in the shop while doing simple work like cleaning…

So… has anyone found a good substitute that's completely safe and nevertheless retains the qualities we love so much about naphta?


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

_________________
Pierre Castonguay

SECTION 2. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
Emergency Overview
Regulatory status : This material is considered hazardous by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).
Signal Word : DANGER
Hazard Summary : Extremely flammable. Irritating to eyes and respiratory system. Affects central
nervous system. Harmful or fatal if swallowed. Aspiration Hazard.
Potential Health Effects
Eyes : High vapor concentration or contact may cause irritation and discomfort.
Skin : Brief contact may cause slight irritation. Skin irritation leading to dermatitis may
occur upon prolonged or repeated contact. Can be absorbed through skin.
Ingestion : Aspiration hazard if liquid is inhaled into lungs, particularly from vomiting after
ingestion. Aspiration may result in chemical pneumonia, severe lung damage,
respiratory failure and even death.
Inhalation : Vapors or mists from this material can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs, and
can cause signs and symptoms of central nervous system depression,
depending on the concentration and duration of exposure. Inhalation of high
concentrations may cause central nervous system depression such as dizziness,

Naphtha is actually a class of petroleum distillates. Even if the main ingredient is essentially the same in all products in this class, the minor ingredients and manufacturing contaminants vary tremendously, as does the physical behaviour (flash point, etc,) and toxicology. Anyone using a product with naphtha should review the MSDS for that product — note carefully the presence of compounds with names ending in “-ane”.

I’ve sourced at least 10 naphtha products in 4 countries for guitar building. They vary a lot.

SAFE? Even water has an MSDS. Like all poisons - it's the dosage.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

That was my thought. It really comes down to amounts in parts per Million . Most of us use it infrequent enough that with proper ventilation there shouldn't be any issue.

However , Im not a Dr. Nor do I play one on TV

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For general shop use, the solvent I use is odorless mineral spirits. It is also a mixture of hydrocarbons and is probably no less toxic than naphtha. But I appreciate its lower level of odor. Also, I think it may leave a cleaner surface when dry. I seem to remember naphtha leaving a very slightly oily surface.

The harm of a particular compound is related to more than ppm concentration. It also depends on it's inherent toxicity. Some compounds are deadly even at a low dose. Other compounds are only harmful if you swallow or adsorb a lot of it. Concerning water, it is given an MSDS because if you swallow gallons of it, it can be very bad. So a manufacturer includes an MSDS for their own protection in case there's an accident.
This use to be a big part of my day job.

Watching with interest, I use it a lot.

Gloves and avoiding too much skin contact are always a good idea with any solvent. With naphtha I rarely remember to, though.

You probably shouldn’t pour it into a bag and inhale the concentrated vapour, nor should you bathe in it.

But dampening a cloth with it to clean a some crudd off a guitar surely isn’t a dangerous level of exposure. You can generally do this kind of thing without skin contact.

I do, too, and have for a very long time, that's why I started this.


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

_________________
Pierre Castonguay

This is true , My reference was mainly towards Naptha and how much we really use. Thank you for clairification however

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/