The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

Guest

Harsh effects of roof cleaning chemicals!

Oct 12, 2009

Nice job there Brian. Hurts like heck especially at night when ya trying to sleep doesn't it? OUCH! Been there done that a few times. Second deg burns and a major infection after a week took me to the ER one Sunday night. 2 words...Silver sulfadiazine. Great burn cream and wont leave you with a scar. May have to get it through your doctor but it is WELL worth it. Be careful out there. This Roof Cleaning thing is not all fun and games. People do get hurt!

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0h&oq=silver+sul&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBR_enUS285US285&q=silver+sulfadiazine+cream

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 on Monday 12th of October 2009 02:30:42 PM

Roof Cleaning Wallace N.C 910-463-8400 · Guest

DAMMMM BRIAN those burn are very very bad.your biggest problem is not the burns it is infection.please take my advice and take very good care of those wounds. i've had my fair share of road rash...

cbtodacb · Guest

i had a big mamma of one of those on my back....

couple of months ago i was spraying from a nap sack sprayer, a hot mix!! didnt realise the sprayer was leaking...felt some burning on my back but ignored it because wasnt sure what it was...i got home and my missus said WOWEEEE your back is burnt!! spoke to the chemist though, he said there is not real long term effects to the burn, inhaling is where you have to be careful, the only bad thing about the burn is the initial discomfort...

respirator is king for me...my missus wont let me do anything without it

Iannacchione · Guest

God bless you man,

I had a similar thing happen to me the other day. I dropped my wand on the ground and darn thing broke in two. I didnt have any extra ones with me, so I decided to use my thumb as a sprayer head (with no gloves).........bad idea. My wife calls me "Roudolph the red hand roof sprayer." My hands are still red as hell. I definately learned my lesson.

KP Diamond · Guest

Wow, glad u caught it when u did. Keep an eye on it for sure. Sometimes LOVE HURTS. I 'burned' my hands 7 years ago with a milder version of love. Totally ruined all the oil glands in both my hands because I couldn't feel anything until it was too late. My hands are constantly dry and cracked, there is no fixing them!
BE VERY CAREFUL WITH YOUR LUNGS GUYS!!

Palspower · Guest

Hi Brian,

I also know too well the effects that can happen with cleaning chemicals. I was wearing nylon sweat pant and was in a hurry so I just left my sneakers on. The chemicals ran down my sweat pants and soaked the top of my sneakers. When I finished I felt a burning sensation on the tops of my feet and after removing my sneakers and socks I noticed the burns across my feet. I had to soak my feet in a pail of milk and after 3 weeks my feet healed back to normal.

A long story short. Take the neccessary precautions to protect yourself.

Kevin

andy hinson · Oct 12, 2009

The Roof Cleaners of Chester County Pennsylvania 610-842-2104 wrote:

I took these pictures for anyone who thinks that it is ok to use roof cleaning chemicals without taking proper safety precautions.

I am very careful to use forearm length heavy rubber gloves, chlorine respirators, eye protection, long sleeve shirts and full length pants and hats.

This chemical burn happened after two different exposures to roof cleaning chemical in the same day! My nozzle connection was leaking and I didn't realize that it was causing a slight drip to fall on my rubber gloves while I was spraying. These drips ran down my glove and soaked into my long sleeve shirt. I didn't realize that this was happening until I felt a slight burning sensation in my forearm. Even then I didn't realize the nozzle was dripping. I thought I leaned against a gutter that was wet.

I got down and took my gloves off and checked my arm only to find that it was red and inflamed. I knew it was from chemical so I washed it repeatedly with soap and water. Before the next job, I put on a large band aid with neosporin to help heal the skin damage.

While I was spraying the next roof, I suddenly felt the burning again, but this time it was much worse. I looked down and saw that my nozzle was dripping and soaking my forearm. I immediately climbed down the ladder and checked my arm. I didn't use a water proof band aid and to my horror, It absorbed a ton of roof cleaning chemical and held it tightly against my skin. I ripped the band aid off and started rinsing my arm like crazy. It was too late. The damage was already done. The tender skin could not handle any more exposure to harsh chemicals.

I changed my shirt and continued to rinse my arm. I had my ground guy finish spraying the roof and we cleaned up and went home.

I am pretty lucky because I fell somewhere in between a 1st and 2nd degree burn. It could have been much worse!

Be careful out there! If it did that to my skin after two exposures that totaled less than 15 to 20 minutes combined, imagine what it is doing to your lungs if you are cleaning roofs without using a CHLORINE RESPIRATOR!

Brian

What kind of gun were you using? I had a problem with the plastic hose barb that was attached to the bottom of my gun. Leaked all over me even after several attempts to fix. Finally had to leave the job to buy barbs. Thanks for sharing.

Guest

Andy,
I was using a commercial garden spray nozzle. It has an on/off valve and an adjustable nozzle at the end. I have used it almost the entire year and I really enjoyed using it. It lasted well beyond it's expectations and I pushed it too far. It wasn't leaking because it was a poor qualtiy piece or anything like that, but it had brass insides and they only last so long. I posted a picture of it in a recent thread about an average size roof or something like that.

Brian

andy hinson · Oct 12, 2009

Thanks, Brian

RoofBright of Florida · Guest

Be sure to take care and keep it moist and clean. I've been burnt svral times over the years. I soon realized it doesn't take that much time to inspect your equipment everyday before heading out to make sure everything is working properly. I also carry pretty much one or two of everything on my truck. SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY number one priority.....

Satcahr · Guest

Thank you for this post. I am really big on safety, especially when I have people working with/for me. But we all need these kind of re-informements to remind us of just what the dangers are incase we get complacent.

Take care.

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"