Health and Safety Executive

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Ten bodyshop myths that can take your breath away

Vehicle paint sprayers are 90 times more likely to get asthma than the average worker. 1 in 10 of workers in bodyshops who get asthma from isocyanates are not sprayers.

  1. "We use water-based /UV-cured paints, which are isocyanate-free. Anyway, isocyanates are going to be banned"
  2. "Modern guns don't mist like the old ones so are much safer"
  3. "It won't affect me, I wear a mask"
  4. "I work in a booth so the air is kept clear"
  5. "I can go in the booth/spray room as soon as the mist has cleared"
  6. "It's only a touch-up job, I can do that in the workshop"
  7. "Isocyanates cause cancer but so does everything else these days."
  8. "Asthma isn't serious – most kids have got it these days"
  9. "The biggest problem is absorption through the skin but I wear gloves and an overall"
  10. "I've got nothing to worry about, I've had my yearly check-up and it's all clear"
Updated 2013-02-07