Clark & Julie Kent on mon 3 may 99
Thanks to everyone who has replied to my post on dust masks/respirators. I
still am wondering if I *can* get an ok seal on the 3M 8210 that is used in
our community studio. It's going to take me a while to do my homework,
find my own respirator and get it fitted properly (and thanks for the
suggestions).
Meanwhile, I still have to go to work at the clay center and do my job.
And the most immediate concern is not the filter itself (which has a 95%
efficiency rating, which isn't bad), but the fit of the filter on my face.
So the question becomes, how can I be certain that the filter is doing it's
job while I'm bending over and contorting myself to clean those shelves?
Although the ideas of smelling banana oil or a saccharine hood are great
for companies that test this kind of thing regularly, what might be a
practical way of testing the seal myself? I don't know of any
manual/textbook that covers this -- it goes down in the "just figure it
out" section that so much of pottery is relegated to.... What if I light a
candle, blow it out, then put on the mask and see if I can smell the smoke?
Or perhaps some airborne confectioner's sugar might be a better test
because of the fine particles that I would be able to taste? Any thoughts?
This is becoming a real concern to me especially because of how conscious I
am now of the general dust floating around our studio. I make all my
classes wipe down all surfaces and mop all the floors, but not every
teacher does this after each class. Then there's dust lurking in lots of
corners -- uncleaned slab roller cloth and wooden bats, plastic wadded up
in the trash can with dry clay bits all over it, an opened bag of bone ash
sitting under the wedging table -- the list could go on for days. And
after lab time it is really bad, with people doing the "not me" excuse for
messes left everywhere. Short of becoming the janitor and cleaning up after
everyone (or leaving my job altogether) what can I do? I've already asked
my boss (who is not a potter) to order Monona's book, and I keep making her
post signs reminding people to clean up, I've posted the the article from
the Laguna website on "the dangers of crystalline silica" but nothing seems
to help. And I'm leery of pushing too hard. I seem to be the only one
with any concerns and I'm the youngest teacher there....
This is a really difficult issue for me, especially since my
apprenticeships were with really well-trained potters who kept immaculate
studios (I know because I did a lot of the cleaning work!). Is there
anyone else who has had this problem (especially at the community center
level) and dealt with it successfully?
Thanks in advance for any ideas, help or encouragement you could offer.
Julie
in VA, whose big yellow car has a solid coat of orange pollen (trees were a
4 on the pollen meter today, ACK!) Particles, particles everywhere....
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