I'm always hearing resin can be toxic and harmful. Don't sand it, don't breath the dust, don't eat the shavings, blah blah blah...

how precisely is it harmful? i'm following that the dust is harmful but so is most dust. is resin dust actually poisonous chemically or is it just because it's so fine that it clogs your lungs? is it safe to touch resin? is the dust harmful to skin?

I'm not a Doctor (but I played one in my 9th grade version of The Miracle Worker - really I did - 6 lines).

Handling it isn't that big a deal. I would get in the habit of washing your hands afterwards.
Breathing it is a different story. Long exposures to dust over time will not be good. I'm sure it will affect everyone slightly differently depeinding on your genetic makeup.

here is some interesting reading
Resin White Paper

Play it safe is my motto.

I don't know if this answers your question fully but resin in its set(hardened form) is OK to handle but the dust is lethal AVOID breathing in, prolonged use will lead to all manner of ailments if the correct precautions are not taken i.e. ventilated room , mask e.t.c.

I am sure some one with a bit more detailed answer we be along but use this as a rule and there should be no problems.
hope this explains a little

redleg

oh well scott you beat me to it :-)

redleg

Wear a dust mask at a minimum..... and Wet sand to keep the dust to an absolute minimum.

I would assume that the resin used is the same or similar to that used in the fibreglass industry minus the glass which is harmful, even more so if it has the glass fibre in it. However, let’s be clear here any dust is harmful in excess. In addition, when the resin is curing it releases styrene gas that will mess with your head and breathing. I do not know if any of this gas remains after the resin has cured.

Ok now im worreid guys, I never bother with a mask, ive heard people say how deadly it is but just thought nothing of it. Matt-you have mortified me by saying 'wear a mask at minmum', I usually sand the resin outside or by the garage door and usually get covered in that dust. I think i'll buy a mask before it kills me.

As Scott suggests, the hazard is way overstated, to the extent some people have said the very smell of cured resin is dangerous. The danger from the dust is not that it's resin dust, but that it's dust and in large amounts, can accumulate in the lungs, much as wood dust or dust storm dust. The site is also aimed at industrial levels of exposure, not the level we'd expect from sanding a the remnants of a Verlinden plug. The simplest cloth/paper mask would be more than adequate protection in any of our applications.
Also, other than Verlinden's suggetion to use in a well ventilated area, the same warning on most of the stuff we use, there are no health warnings. Consider that hair dryers come with warnings not to use them in the shower and chainsaws not to stop them with your groin, that peanut butter may cintain peanuts and the litiginous nature of US society, any significant danger would be well labeled and deliniated.
Wolf figures suggest not breathing any dust when sanding and to wash your hands after handling metal or resin figures.
I'm willing to bet you're at much greater risk sitting at the bar if the cute babe next to you is smoking a cigarette.

I've heard that if you handle the resin, your children will be born naked.

Rob - :-) Mine came out naked.......

Man, I must really have a problem then. Mine came out naked and 3 months early!

Not only did mine come out naked, he's 6 ft tall after 18years!!!
What Al said. It's just dust.Do it and clean up.That's all.
Cheers!

With some people the dust cna Irritate.......... I generally wetsand.... and cut by Hand...... only time I really wear a mask is when I'm useing powertools with it......... No major headaches yet.........me anyway.....

As someone with a "Dust Induced Lung Disease" I would suggest using common sense, and at least wearing a paper mask. Wet sanding not only cuts down on the amount of dust, but allows the wet/dry papers to sand faster and smoother, and not clog the grit surface, thus the sand paper will last longer also.

One of the reasons you need to take care when sanding resin reinforced with glass fibre, is the glass fibre will damage your lungs by cutting them and clogging. In addition, if you are moulding with resin it’s the styrene gas that is giving you a headache. If you are cleaning up yourself and/or your tools with acetone that is coming into contact with your skin it collects in various organs within your body and does you no good what so ever and will also cause your headaches, just wear the wife’s marigolds.. No, it will not make you Radioactive Man. As regards modellers, all you need do is take reasonable steps such as wear a paper mask when sanding. If moulding/pouring resin you should really use a vapour mask and rubber gloves at a minimum.

The cause, of the trouble, probably, is polyurethane resin. The hardener contains a cyanide-derivative ingredient, so caution is advised. Epoxy resin is nowhere near as "dangerous," but any dust, breathed in, can stay in the lungs, and cause trouble. Geoff Prentice ("Icarus," in Scale Models) died of a lung cancer, which is not smoking-related, and it was thought that his love of vacforms, and the attendant dust, might have contributed to it. Ever since, I've worn my spraying mask, whenever I'm sanding, whatever the material.
Edgar

First time I worked with resin parts that required sanding and I didn't wear a mask, I got a horrible headache/sinus inflammation from the dust and that instantly cured me of not wearing one afterwards, even when working with small parts, I use one. It's the simple paper type, not the full blown paint breather, but I definitely would recommend it as a precaution if nothing else. So many things in the hobby are chemical based, might as well be safer than sorry later on.

Oh, NOW you tell me!


Sean

Warning: Scientists have discovered that life causes death!

I have to say, that when I use resin, I only put on a mask when there are a lot of pieces. Not for a small AM set.

And ANYTHING in large amounts, even water, is deadly.

I razor saw most of the cast block away, and sand a little, and there is no overwhelming sense of dust, just big glops that come off, like chainsaw chips, only smaller scale....

I think it's all a load.