Today’s societies are increasingly showing greater interest and concern for their health. This trend is spreading to various public and private organizations and is reflected in the adoption of policies aimed at increasing people’s safety. In this regard, one of the latest developments that has been implemented in some European Union countries is the elimination of styrene when manufacturing certain materials used to repair vehicles and other equipment.
However, it is common that the worker or end user of a certain product is unaware of the reason this measure has been implemented, or is simply not aware of how it can affect their health, so if you are interested in finding out more about using styrene-free products, we have provided you with some very interesting information below.
What is Styrene?
Styrene is a chemical compound that is used as a raw material in the production of a multitude of products and materials manufactured by different industrial processes. Styrene is a liquid that belongs to the family of aromatic hydrocarbons. Other main characteristics of styrene are as follows:
- It is colorless.
- It evaporates quickly.
- It generally dissolves easily with organic liquids, except with water, where it is more complicated.
- In its pure state it has a sweet odor, but when mixed industrially with other chemicals, such as aldehydes and ketones it has a pungent and unpleasant odor.
- It is obtained by specific industrial processes such as catalytic dehydrogenation, toluene alkylation and oxidative dehydrogenation.
- It is mainly used in industries that manufacture plastic products and by-products, rubbers and paints.
- It is also present in tobacco smoke, vehicle exhaust fumes and contaminated soil. Also, there may be low levels of styrene in some foods such as fruits, beverages or meats that are packaged in plastic containers.
Why is using styrene-free products in the bodyshop recommended?
The main reason why it is recommended to use styrene-free products in the bodyshop and in other industries is basically because it is a substance that can adversely affect the human body when there is prolonged exposure and the necessary individual and collective protection measures are not used.
For these reasons, whenever possible, the use of styrene-free products is recommended, bearing in mind that this recommendation does not intend to stigmatize other materials with styrene that are totally safe when properly applied.
Following this approach, some countries, such as Denmark and Germany, have taken a step forward by developing specific legislation prohibiting the use of styrene when manufacturing certain products, such as putty used for vehicle repairs. These restrictions will probably be gradually incorporated into the legal systems of the different countries and will gradually become stricter, with the aim of improving health conditions of certain productive sectors.
However, products containing styrene are commonly used in the bodyshop and other industries. Using them in different chemical formulas of certain products is necessary to obtain quality products that offer a good level of performance and behavior during application. Therefore, applying products containing styrene is not a problem for the worker, as long as he/she uses the prevention and protection measures indicated below.
What Paint Materials Contain Styrene?
Focusing on bodyshops, the most common products used on a daily basis that contain styrene are filler putties, products containing epoxy resins, fiberglass, benzoyl peroxide hardeners and some paints.
Therefore, both the employer and employees must exercise the utmost level of caution when handling any of these products and be aware of the technological development of them, in order to use those that are marketed as styrene-free, as is already happening with some variants of putty. An example of this product is the ROBERLO Vital putty a styrene-free product that is more environmentally friendly and better for the health of workers. However, this does not mean that it lacks in performance, as it is still easy to sand and provides an excellent level of adhesion.
How Can We Protect Ourselves If We Use a Product Containing Styrene?
The use of products containing styrene is still commonplace in the bodyshop and other types of industries, so it is clear that the only way to protect health is to make full use of preventive measures and use, whenever possible, styrene-free products. The most significant prevention measures to take into account during the handling of styrene are as follows:
- Use of PPE: work clothes, chemical-resistant protective gloves, safety goggles and face mask with mixed filters suitable for retaining vapors and mists emitted by the paint when mixing or painting, and solid particles derived from the sanding process of putties and other products.
- Use extraction systems during painting and vacuum systems when sanding. This prevents the uncontrolled spread of chemicals in the form of mist or dust.
- Work in ventilated places, avoiding a stuffy work environment.
- Use the different products according to the manufacturer’s instructions in terms of mixing ratios, application pressures, etc.
Conclusions
People are increasingly concerned about being healthy, so it is common for their lifestyle habits to become healthier and healthier. This concern is also relevant to the workplace, so it is important to have the most suitable working conditions that allow the employee to carry out their duties in a healthy way. With the arrival of styrene-free products, it is possible to improve them and make a little more progress in this long-distance race, although, when these products are not available, it is enough to use the appropriate preventive and protective measures.
