The effects of Anodize and Chemfilm

[VALLERA]

I want to know the effect of breathing Anodize and Chemfilm particles. The part I work with is made of aluminum sand casting which gets anodized and chemfilmed after being machined. I have to hand polish the inside of the part with sand paper. So in total i sand about .0015 of the Anodize. I do not use a face mask cause I have problems breathing with it. I blow the dust with a air hose making all the particles fly into the air. I end up getting it all over my face, arms, and hair. I noticed that my face and neck started breaking out in a rash. I've never been told the effects of these chemicles and just wanted a helpful understanding of what I am working with. Also sometimes I touch up some parts with Chemfilm. Sometimes it gets alittle messy and I end up getting the chemfilm all over my hands. Is this harmful?

 

[chemisttree]

Sometimes an aluminum anodizing is sealed with nickel acetate after the dying step. Nickel is very allergenic, so when you sand the anodizing it is possible that you are creating a finely-divided dust containing nickel.

I'm not sure about your chemfilm but if it is Alodine then it contains chromium VI which is carcinogenic. There should be cautionary labeling with the product or, if you are in the US, you should have the MSDS avaliable to help you assess the risks you are taking working with that product.

It is never a good idea to become covered in metal dust... even aluminum oxide/aluminum and I would change the way I handled the parts you sand if I were you.

 

[VALLERA]

Thank you for your answer. I am going to look into the chemfilm contents and take it from there.