Dangers of machining carbon-fiber?

The_Apprentice

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There is a person on youtube who shows videos of himself making carbon-fiber jewelry rings to wear. In a lot of the steps he is cutting, and sanding carbon-fiber. Most of this he uses a lathe and drill-press for.

While this looks interesting, I have seen more than one person exclaim shock at him for advocation of doing this. From what I understand, the dust from this material is extremely toxic, and has no use in a workshop. The carbon binds to anything, and everything, including lung tissue and stays there.

Can someone correct me if I am wrong? The person who makes these videos hasn't made any responses on the concerns, and also has done quite a few other SAFETY violations when I watch him.
 
According to the MSDS it sounds pretty benign (which is rare - they could make water sound deadly)

https://www.tapplastics.com/uploads/pdf/MSDS Carbon Fiber Sheet.pdf

Potential Health Effects:
Eye: Contact may cause mechanical irritation to the eyes. If sized, vapor or fumes from exposure of this product to elevated temperatures may cause irritation to the eyes. Dust from machining, grinding or sawing the cured product may cause mechanical irritation.
Skin: Contact may cause mechanical irritation to the skin and possible dermatitis. Dust from machining, grinding or sawing the cured product may cause mechanical irritation.
Inhalation: May cause mechanical irritation to the upper respiratory tract. If sized, vapor or fumes from exposure of this product to elevated temperatures may cause irritation to the respiratory tract. Dust from machining, grinding or sawing the cured product may cause mechanical irritation.
 
According to the various MSD sheets, toxicity of carbon fiber, either inhaled or orally ingested, is not known. Carbon by itself is rather inert. Inhaling large quantities over an extended period of time, as when mining coal, will cause black lung disease. As far as oral ingestion, carbon in the form of activated charcoal is uses extensively for removal of impurities from drinking water. I know that I have ingested my share in eating grilled brats, hamburgers, and steaks. I have also inhaled quite a bit of carbon in the form of soot from diesel engines and from smoldering campfire.

I would be more concerned with the epoxy binders use in the carbon fiber material.
 
It's going to depend on the complete material make-up. We used some that is pretty mild before it's cooked. After cure, it's quite toxic...enough that we had to install high grade HEPA level vacuum systems to deal with dust from sanding and drilling it.
 
So I wear a respirator when sanding it.
I vacuum it up after.
The real danger is carbon fiber splinters. They don't disolve under the skin, and if they enter the blood stream they can and will kill you. They just don't degrade and white blood cells can do nothing to break them down.
When they get to the heart the party is over.
 
Grrrrr.
So this thread went pretty quick from pretty harmless... to really nasty (#*@!
 
Reminds me of when I worked in a pre-sintered carbide shop. It was so dusty and dirty you needed to wear a Haz-Mat suit and a respirator. Every 3 months they'd bring in a Dr. to examine your lungs and the first thing out of his mouth after he checked you was he'd wish you'd stop smoking. Didn't make a difference if you smoked or not, the diagnosis was the same.
 
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