Who's Sick after NJ Regional?

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Chrisms

i know it's not asbestos, but i'm worried that it's something similar..

and wait, what's OSHA? ohio state health admin? that's my guess

There is nothing to be concerned about.

Asbestos is so dangerous because it is inorganic - it never decays. Further, the special crystalline structure of some forms of asbestos make it embed itself into tissue, so coughing and other body functions that would rid you of foreign matter do not work.

The material is paper, with water-resistant glue. You can literally eat it. Not very tasty or nutritious, but not even slightly toxic. The only danger might be from a large piece of it hitting you.

Here, and in general, avoid jumping to conclusions without research. This will serve you well in life.

On the other hand, I was unhappy with the mess it made of my pants, jacket, and anything else that touched the ground. Not to mention, those few pieces that were sliding around nearly an inch - someone might have tripped (though nobody did).

And to those who got sick: Did you wash your hands??

Don

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

There is nothing to be concerned about.
Here, and in general, avoid jumping to conclusions without research. This will serve you well in life.

Don

I don't know if the link is to the correct product, but It does say the OSHA requires a resperiator if too much of the stuff is in dust form...

HOWEVER, this is probably much less of a factor than alll the things that Ken Wittlief mentioned.

[ScoutingNerd175]

My entire team (basically) got sick during and after nationals. It was icky. Reminded me of the days I spent working with kids at my theatre. When I go to my high school I get exposed to all the illnesses going around Enfield. When I go to regionals, I get exposed to all the illnesses going around 53 school districts in the area... on that note I think I need to wash my hands again.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

I don't know if the link is to the correct product, but It does say the OSHA requires a resperiator if too much of the stuff is in dust form...

HOWEVER, this is probably much less of a factor than alll the things that Ken Wittlief mentioned.

I wasn't there, but it is extremely unlikely to have been Homasote. Unless it was really soft and kind of crumbly... Someone else up there in the thread suggeste Masonite, which is more likely. Homasote is an old product that isn't used much anymore.

But, yes indeedy, long term exposure to heavy concentrations of wood dust can be dangerous (mostly nasal and sinus problems), but a couple of days in the presence of Masonite dust isn't going to cause permanent problems for anyone, and won't cause real short-term problems for anyone who doesn't have allergies or asthma.

And OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

[Bharat Nain]

I don't know what it was..but it got me sick. NJ Regional does that every year...

[Dad1279]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

I wasn't there, but it is extremely unlikely to have been Homasote. Unless it was really soft and kind of crumbly... Someone else up there in the thread suggeste Masonite, which is more likely. Homasote is an old product that isn't used much anymore.

But, yes indeedy, long term exposure to heavy concentrations of wood dust can be dangerous (mostly nasal and sinus problems), but a couple of days in the presence of Masonite dust isn't going to cause permanent problems for anyone, and won't cause real short-term problems for anyone who doesn't have allergies or asthma.

And OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

It was a Homasote product called Ice Deck. I spoke to Homasote yesterday. http://www.homasote.com/id.html

No asbestos content, it is made of recycled newspaper. My concern is the amount of airborne dust. I still have a dry throat.

It is commonly used to cover ice, however, it should have been covered with carpet or a wood floor to keep it from deteriorating.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Dad1279

It was a Homasote product called Ice Deck. I spoke to Homasote yesterday. http://www.homasote.com/id.html

The Homasote I've seen has a very crumbly surface, which is why I shot my virtual mouth off. It's a lousy wear surface, and I'm not surprised it disintegrated. I made the mistake of cutting some with a 12-inch miter saw one time -- little paper dust everywhere. It's as bad as MDF dust.

[galewind]

I got sick, too. Started off as having no voice, moved to heavy chest cold, then achy-flu-like symptoms.

I attributed it to a low immune system due to stress and overworking before the regional, combined with catching a bug from one of the 3000 people there.

That floor stuff, though likely not a contributor, was pretty bad. It wasn't even properly secured!!! It got mashed against itself pretty hard. Our pit corner station didn't even have full covering! I almost slipped on ice once when I mis-stepped. Thank God the boards were there.

[felipe.tonello]

I got sick too..
It's too cold there!!
30 F... brrrrrr

Here the normal temperature is like 90 F heheheh..

But the good thing is I saw snowww... a little bit but I saw... very nice!!

[NeedMoreEngines]

Well yeah I know I caught something from someone, but the floor was the beginnning of it. Saturday and Sunday I was coughing so hard and coughing up stuff that looked like all the dust that had gathered in my lungs.

to that person who said there was a letter going out...THANK YOU