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leak detection fluid - respirator to use this stuff?

View the thread, titled "leak detection fluid - respirator to use this stuff?" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

Hi,

Been meaning to ask this for a while now.

Commercial leak detection fluid - the stuff in the hand-pump action spray bottle - it makes me cough and I feel a choking sensation at the back of my throat every time I use it. I keep well away from the thing I'm spraying, but I still get the unpleasant sharp tang and a desire to cough.

I can't find any safety info (SDS sheet) to tell me to wear a respirator or vapour-grade PPE, so, is this stuff corrosive/toxic/injurious to health if breathed in over some period of (prolonged?) use?

The label warns of 'serious eye irritation' , so I wear safety glasses, but claims the delivery method is 'non-aerosol spray' and there is no explicit precautionary against breathing in the overspray.

I can't be the only one that has this reaction to the stuff??
 
Which specific product are you talking about? There are many that match your description.

Anyway, all such products have to have a COSHH datasheet. Go to a big online supplier, like BES or RS and search for the product, then look for the downloadable COSHH sheet on the product page. E.g. Cura leak detector from BES:


has the sheet in the 'Product Attachments' section.

As a general rule, all sprays produce aerosols to some extent and you don't want to inhale any of them. If it irritates your eyes it's a racing certainty that your lungs won't like it much either.
 
I found the COSHH - it seems the culprit is an ingredient called Bronopol at <1% concentration.

Wikipedia lists a string of hazard warnings appropriate for this product - one of which is

H335 - may cause respiratory irritation

I would agree
 

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