# Forum Home Renovation Concreting  concrete dust, trouble breathing / advice

## zongatron

hi guys 
So two weeks ago I used a rotary drill and chisel bit to hack into my slab floor. It was painted and so i needed to remove the paint before tiling. about 12m2 in total. enclosed poorly ventilated room. 
Halfway through, i didnt realise how dusty it was in the room until i went outside for some fresh air...VERY dusty in hindsight. 
In any case i tried to continue with my dust mask... but couldnt see anything as it kept slipping off and pushing off my goggles.
So i lost the dust mask and kept the eye protection. 
Two weeks later i am very congested still in the chest. Very heavy breathing like ive got severe asthma or something....and phlegmy wheezy coughy etc... chest.
Great difficulties at night waking up not really beaing able to get enough oxygen... 
Wondering does anybody have any experience with this?
Should I expect it to clear up or might i have stuffed my lungs from one stinky dirty inside job?
Is there anything you could advise (apart from a visit to the doc) that i could do to help myself. 
thanks any and all
zonga

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## an3_bolt

Go see the doc. 
Apart from the problems with concrete dust - how do you know it is actually related to concrete dust? Could be something co-incidental but unrelated!! Who knows? Get it checked out - you only live once. 
Better to go to the doc earlier than later.

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## sundancewfs

One way around this dusty problem (for future reference) is to use a silicon type cartridge respirator with exhaust valves that exit away from your face, so as not to fog up your glasses. I recently cut up an old septic tank from the inside with a 9" angle grinder and concrete blade. the respirator worked a treat. Best case senario you will cough concrete for a few days.... worst case..... silicosis  http://www.workershealth.com.au/facts060.html

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## zongatron

just googled silicosis.... damn, nasty.  
I think perhaps they should give away a leaflet and a cheap dust mask with every bag of cement they sell. Raise awareness etc, especially with so much diy going on. 
I had no idea. 
So far it seems like most of the problem is my throat and nose.... like most of the larger particles got stuck in there and that is causing the wheezing etc. moreso than my lungs. I could pop my ears by blowing out my nose (without holding the nostrils shut) 
im optimistic it will clear up ok. Drank heaps of coke today and throats miles better already. 
As for silicosis, i reckon i copped a bit of fine dust, time will tell. Not meant to really show up for about ten years.... another reason i reckon the problem now is more in my "breathing passages". 
ll be staying away from grinding cuttin concrete for good now i reckon...maybe a wetsaw and dustmask...outside... 
in any case, be warned..... always wear a bloody dust mask when cuttin bricks, using cement, cuttin stones, jackhammering, even hammer drilling...

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## piscean

> in any case, be warned..... always wear a bloody dust mask when cuttin bricks, using cement, cuttin stones, jackhammering, even hammer drilling...

  good advice  :2thumbsup:  I guess im lucky in that Ive always suffered from allergies so anytime there's something even slightly dusty I always have a mask or respirator on because my sinuses would go start going crazy otherwise. Ive seen hubby in the past cutting bricks and concrete outside and Ive done my nut at him and made him put a mask on because it's amazing how much dust comes off concrete and bricks etc. but you dont realise youre getting surrounded by it 
zonga you really should see a doc, you might have a heap of concrete dust down in your lungs and the doc might be able to advice something to get you to cough it all up or clear out your lungs a bit. if your having any trouble breathing dont muck around with it  :No:

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## zongatron

yeah, nah.
googled it and its unanimous.... silicosis = stuffed.
nothing they can do.
up to me to manage it.
ten days later still real wheezy 
bit of a @@@@ to never hear anything mentioned about it except the very odd... that dust can be nasty or something like that.

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## an3_bolt

How do you know? 
What medical back ground do you have for self diagnosis? 
Go see someone who knows about this stuff. You do not even know if it is actually the cement dust caused condition or an underlying condition inflamed by cement dust.....
How do you know for a fact what can or what can not be done? 
If my kids had such a laize-faire attitude to their health - they would most certainly get a good clip around the ears. 
The longer you leave anything - generally the less that can be done.

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## sundancewfs

Sorry to scare you with the silicosis stuff, zongatron....... but......
 YOUR GOING TO DIE!!!! :Yikes2:  
Oh....... hang on we are all going to die sometime... :Blush7:  
Maybe we need another "not so great debate page" for medical conditions...
and the reasons you need to only have qualified health professionals work on you.
Mind you I'll bet there are some who will want to still do DIY surgery. :Biggrin:

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## piscean

> yeah, nah.
> googled it and its unanimous.... silicosis = stuffed.
> nothing they can do.
> up to me to manage it.
> ten days later still real wheezy

  you dont know that you have silicosis, go to the doc and get checked out. It could be something as simple as a bacterial infection from inhaling the dirty dust but if you get a nasty bug in the lungs it can get very serious if left untreated and then you really will be struggling for breath! Dont diagnose yourself from reading a few articles on the web, see a doctor and find out whats going on  :Wink:

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## Terrian

> just googled silicosis.... damn, nasty.  
> I think perhaps they should give away a leaflet and a cheap dust mask with every bag of cement they sell. Raise awareness etc, especially with so much diy going on. 
> I had no idea.

  I think you will find that every bag of cement says to wear dusk mask etc, as does every bag of potting mix.   

> in any case, be warned..... always wear a bloody dust mask when cuttin bricks, using cement, cuttin stones, jackhammering, even hammer drilling...

  and all those tools come with safety warnings

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## zongatron

yeah okay, off to the doc this week. 
yeah i get they have warnings, but in my opinion there are warnings and there are WARNINGS.. 
and these days everything has a warning on it.
I spent a bit of time working in the snow, there is the usual warning stuff.... but NOTHING which suggests the true seriousness of the activity.
Did you know that on a good snow day, there can be over twenty cases of suspected crushed vertebrae per day. All going for xrays...and plenty of them are stuffed.
So weve got heaps of kids out there screwing their backs permanently.. its kept pretty quiet.
I know they have a sign saying ----> warning, skiing is dangerous...ski within your abilities.
But this sends a completely different message to ---> WARNING!!!  On average PER DAY Three people crush their spines, seventeen break wrists, .18 die and four break their legs due to skiing above their ability. 
And i feel it wouldnt stop people skiing, but it would slow them down. 
I just think that concrete and drills and grinders and plastering are real common things with people stuffing round on their houses.
In these circumstances silicosis is probably the most prevalent danger apart from mechanical injury. Its a well documented, untreatable, debiletating lifelong illness.
I just think a bit more info about silicosis itself would be appropriate in this day and age of diy. Perhaps the odd segment on a diy lifestyle show would be enough to spread the fear and make people wear masks...you know, one neighbour says to the other...saw this thing on silicosis the other night...damn it nasty, this that and this...wear a mask if your gunna sand that plaster....

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## zongatron

And uinterestingly enough...
I did my construction industry white card about twelve months ago. 
No mention of silicosis whatsoever.

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