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Traction Compounds : Health Risks : what can we do about this?

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Traction Compounds : Health Risks : what can we do about this?

Old 04-07-2006, 08:13 AM
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Hey Wayne,

Sorry for the long posts...but the wording needs to be careful and complete so that the right message is communicated.

Sorry that you had to leave solcal...but I certainly understand the rationale. I have not tried suntan lotion yet. I have heard it works fairly well outdoors.

There was a guy at reedy a few years ago handing out his home made compound, ...he plays sax...I think worked for novak at one time..but I can't remember his name. I would love to know if he had any harsh chemicals in his compound. the compound worked fairly well,...maybe there are some options to consider there.

Last edited by Martin Crisp; 04-07-2006 at 08:48 AM.
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Old 04-07-2006, 08:21 AM
  #122  
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"If you don't like it, quit!" is exactly the WRONG attitude to have in this hobby.

If we push people away we'll lose the racing side of the hobby altogether...that is not a healthy outlook.

I recently lost my younger brother after a 4+year fight with cancer. Industrial cutting fluids which were previously viewed as harmless were identified as a possible contributing factor to his cancer. He wasn't diagnosed until years after his exposure to those chemicals.(not saying the chemicals were the cause...but the doctors felt that the chemicals may have been a contributing factor)...

To look at him you'd think he was the picture of health. Inside the cancer was spreading.

Ignorance is not the answer here people. Until we have an understanding of exactly what we are ingesting (breathing in, absorbing through skin) and its effects, at the very least each of us should take steps to minimze exposure(wear gloves when saucing/cleaning tires, use motor sprays, etc only in well ventilated areas)
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Old 04-07-2006, 08:49 AM
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The paragon discussions always end up with a little bit of content and a lot of spinning wheels.

We always seem to push to bann Paragon without anyone doing much to try to minimize the exposure that we get. What happens if everyone at the track puts their pit towells in a plastic bag between runs? What happens if we start using cleaner (or thicker) towels to wipe our tires off? How many people do you see with black paragon hands at the race? There are a lot of things that we can do short of banning paragon that may help everyone involved.

Yes, the paragon evaporates and we inhale it. But anything that we can do to keep more of the paragon out of the air and off our skin will be a really good start.

FB
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Old 04-07-2006, 08:54 AM
  #124  
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Originally Posted by Martin Crisp
Hey Wayne,

Sorry for the long posts...but the wording needs to be careful and complete so that the right message is communicated.

Sorry that you had to leave solcal...but I certainly understand the rationale. I have not tried suntan lotion yet. I have heard it works fairly well outdoors.

There was a guy at reedy a few years ago handing out his home made compound, ...he plays sax...I think worked for novak at one time..but I can't remember his name. I would love to know if he had any harsh chemicals in his compound. the compound worked fairly well,...maybe there are some options to consider there.
His name is Tyree Phillips. He did work for Novak for quite some time. That stuff was really good that year he brought it. I still have a bottle of it somewhere.
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Old 04-07-2006, 08:57 AM
  #125  
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Originally Posted by Johnboy Walton
Where I'm in 100% agreement with the spirit of Martin's agrument (regrettably I've never had the pleasure of meeting the gentleman) is the obtaining of knowledge - I want to make sure that we burn the right witch....

I'm very much for obtaining detailed ingredients listings and comparing against known effects IN HUMANS. Once we have that, and not before, we can go about proposing bans or limits on the suspect substances or products.
...

. So I can very much understand why you'd like a similar repreive from Paragon....
Hey Johnboy Walton,

Thanks for your support on the spirit of this topic. I agree that a fact based decision needs to be made here. Just in case I was not clear before, it is not my intent to single out paragon. All the compounds seem to be a health risk based on the dosage we get with frequent racing.
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Old 04-07-2006, 09:03 AM
  #126  
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Originally Posted by Unregistered
The paragon discussions always end up with a little bit of content and a lot of spinning wheels.

We always seem to push to bann Paragon without anyone doing much to try to minimize the exposure that we get. What happens if everyone at the track puts their pit towells in a plastic bag between runs? What happens if we start using cleaner (or thicker) towels to wipe our tires off? How many people do you see with black paragon hands at the race? There are a lot of things that we can do short of banning paragon that may help everyone involved.

Yes, the paragon evaporates and we inhale it. But anything that we can do to keep more of the paragon out of the air and off our skin will be a really good start.

FB

All great ideas, no matter what compounds we use. Myself I use gloves when handling the tires, compunds etc. and use my wrench to turn the wheel when applying the compound. When I dry the tires with a towel I wear gloves as well. But I still manage to get some on my hands and with 80,100,300 drivers the vapous are always in the air. This is why racing in the summer is always better for me because of the natural ventilation. I have considered only racing in the summer, but I am not a nitro fan, and taking the winter off would really hurt what ever skills I do have.
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Old 04-07-2006, 09:05 AM
  #127  
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Originally Posted by Jon Kerr
His name is Tyree Phillips. He did work for Novak for quite some time. That stuff was really good that year he brought it. I still have a bottle of it somewhere.
That's right...! Thanks....Sorry Tyree for not remembering your name.

Does anyone know how I can reach Tyree?

Thanks
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Old 04-07-2006, 12:20 PM
  #128  
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I don't know if that has been mention this yet as I have not read this entire thread. But everyone on here is talking about how dangerous tire traction compund is, but has anyone realize at the same time that they are inhaling the "dangerous" vapors of traction compund that they are also melting lead based solder? I would think the smoke that comes from solder would be much worst than the traction compound as most solder is lead based.

Also I have seen many indoor nitro tracks that have very poor ventalation.

My personal opinion is that if the side effects of racing are rc are that serious for some that they may need to find a different hobby.

But I really think that if people go through life scared to death of everything in the world that this would not make for much of a life. I am so sick and tired of reading nearling 90% of anything that says "according to state of California this may cause cancer"

You know also talking on a cell phone may cause brain tumors.

Should he go through life wearing rubber gloves respitrators and goggles?
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Old 04-07-2006, 01:55 PM
  #129  
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huskerfreak,

Yes this type of discussion has been made earlier in the thread. I am certainly not a person that goes through life being scared of everything just for the record. I use to race full size cars, which is not for someone scared of life. But your point is still a valid one, we can't go through life being afraid of everything.

For me personally, it is not longer just a fear of getting sick from this stuff, but a reality, which likely explains why I started this thread. But I dont seem to be the only one affected as you read through the discussion. I am concerned not just for myself but for all drivers, given the dosage we endure. The person that smokes a cigar everyday is much more likely to get cancer than someone who smokes 10 or so cigars in a year. The point here is that we expose ourselves to these chemicals very frequenty and for days on end at big races, which is why I think some attention to this issue is warranted. I choose to pick on traction compounds because when I don't use them, the skin on my hands and my congestion/wheezing does not flair up. So through essentially a process of elimination, the traction compound seemed to have the biggest impact on my overall health.

As for finding another hobby that has also been discussed. I could certainly do that and I may still do that. But I love this hobby and don't want to give it up, so I thought I would see what can be done about making things safer.
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Old 04-07-2006, 02:37 PM
  #130  
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How long does carpet last on the local scene?
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Old 04-07-2006, 02:44 PM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by Martin Crisp
The point here is that we expose ourselves to these chemicals very frequenty and for days on end at big races, which is why I think some attention to this issue is warranted. I choose to pick on traction compounds because when I don't use them, the skin on my hands and my congestion/wheezing does not flair up. So through essentially a process of elimination, the traction compound seemed to have the biggest impact on my overall health.
Ever think of using a traction compund that does not effect you like that? Or how about more carefull handling of the traction compounds you do use?
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Old 04-07-2006, 02:44 PM
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carpet lasts about 3 to 5 years.
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Old 04-07-2006, 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by koabich
Ever think of using a traction compund that does not effect you like that? Or how about more carefull handling of the traction compounds you do use?
covered earlier in the thread.
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Old 04-07-2006, 02:47 PM
  #134  
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Originally Posted by Martin Crisp
Hey Ed, Thanks for posting this....I am going to forward this to ROAR and ask for some discussion on the topic.
Glad to be of help Martin
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Old 04-07-2006, 04:23 PM
  #135  
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Originally Posted by huskerfreak
My personal opinion is that if the side effects of racing are rc are that serious for some that they may need to find a different hobby.
The question is whether there serious consequences for all of us. That you don't have any problems now does not mean you won't have any in the future. As far as I am concerned the first step is to know what chemicals we are actually using so we can assess which products might pose a health hazard and which ones might not.

There are no certainties in life you are right about that, and being scared of everything is not waht this thread is about as far as I am concerned. However the other end of the spectrum is ignoring information that is already out there and that could help prevent problems. The fact is that there is a lot known about different chemicals that we can simply lookup to determine the risks. However we don't know what chemicals are in the different products...
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