Never tried one of those. Seems weird but reminds me of the ear wax candles I used to use, sounded weird but worked good. I had allergies as a kid but they pretty much went away. My nose/eyes are still very sensitive to airborne stuff but not in a true allergy fashion I guess. If I can see it I know it'll bug me. Just the leftover smoke from welding and especially the stuff from grinding with zirconium oxide really bugs me.
One thing I enjoyed about buffing paint was that I did not have to wear a respirator for once. I dowear one for everything else though, both because I feel better and because the stuff you inhale in other situations is nasty. I have to admit I've never seen someone wear a mask just to polish paint, polishing metal though even the most crude guys still have something, that stuff is nasty. That's what I'm onto now, paint is done time for aluminum polishing. If I had to spend more time doing this stuff than I do now I think I'd have to invest in a forced air respirator. I hate sweating it out especially when leaning over because it pools in your lens. Obviously for paint I would just use my half mask. I do have a nice FHX400 for my full mask and while it's the nicest I've ever used, it's still hot and sucks.
Most of the stuff I buff is actually some form of single stage. In this case it's likely dupont Imron since it's a Kenworth. Now Imron is nasty stuff when you spray it but what the particulates are like when coming off as oxidized paint I have no idea.
Aluminum oxide inhalation is the primary reason for wearing a respirator wben doing aluminum but the amount has to be astronomical compared to what you could I have from FG400. I would be curious just how much can really be inhaled since there likely isn't a ton in the product to begin with, and it's not flying off at your nostrils. At least for the most part I like keeping the buffer well below my head whenever possible. Versus metal polishing where it's throwing it back at you with little escape. Everything can be bad for you but it's the quantity and other circumstances that matter the most.
Not sure where you found Aluminum Oxide listed as a carcinogen but none of the major agencies list it as one (maybe CA does but everything is to them). I think if you avoided every carcinogen you would die alone in a bubble. Plus I already had cancer so I'm immune right? Lol. It does pose a health risk though mostly for damage to lungs. I already have enough of that from chemo and radiation. Lung cancer is my biggest risk of secondary cancer down the road as a side effect of treatments so keeping bad stuff outta my lungs is a bit more important to me now.
I hate them but will probably end up wearing a respirator for at least the heavy compounding.
I could care less about wearing a lab coat, I am hot enough as it is. Washing machines work great lol. I have worn tyvek suits when doing a lot of metal work though but they're too damn hot.
I do like the idea of putting "doctor" on the lab coat though lol.
I always wear noise canceling ear buds for music. Buffing point isn't terribly loud when compared to metal and such but it's loud enough plus I like music.
I did try Afrin type nose spray and it didn't help. Today I tried Flonase and it has helped a lot.
