[SacredOrbit]

Hello, first of all my apologies if I had posted this in the wrong sub-forum. I tried to find out the answer myself for sometime now but, as a complete layman, I was rather baffled for that the internet is saturated with either company sponsored information that narrates what appears to be true in a rather casual and dismissing tone ("Oh it's completely fine!" They say) or with certain SIGs that seem to paint a somewhat exaggerated picture and suggest that you should use alternative A or B  which happens to be available on their sites.

I understand that it is best not to be overly cautious on this issue but being a prudent individual that I am, I still want to be as sure as possible -  a lot of materials which saw extensive application in the past were later exposed to be quite harmful. Alas, if being sure is impossible, I want to at least be informed.

What I'm asking about is this: should I be concerned about cured "Epoxy" coating on bed frame? The so said bed is made by a reputable manufacture, an international brand. If so, what should I be concerned about?

I'm aware of the difficulty in answering this question:"Epoxy" is a rather ambiguous term encompassing different combination of chemicals which could produce quite different end products, but I believe it is possible to narrow down the answer with this critical clue - that it is used on bedroom furniture. The Epoxy coating used for flooring clearly isn't going to be the same and as such, a lot of possible combinations may be excluded.

I am also aware that this topic may be too broad and too inclusive, so I intend to make it clear that I wish to know more about the chemistry related information on this issue and there is no need for an emphasis on the health-related aspect for it, since it touches upon a completely different field of study. In other words, if you are kind enough to shed some light on this, just tell me what are the substances that may be released from the cured coating layer into the air that is well-established to be harmful, there is no need to write extensively on - say on-going studies and researches, and there is no need to write anything about the dynamics that those substances interact with human body in.

Here is an example of what the answer may look like:

Be careful with toilet uncloggers, most brands may contain NaOH, a chemical that is know to be quite corrosive to skin。

I hope I did an adequate job asking this question and I'm quite positive that this isn't an academic discussion which belongs to other subs. Thanks in advance!

[Arkcon]

Thank you for all the qualifiers, it shows that you're paying attention:  to this forum, and to our over excited world, online and in real life.

Now.


What's the question?

Here is an example of what the answer may look like:

Be careful with toilet uncloggers, most brands may contain NaOH, a chemical that is know to be quite corrosive to skin。

Can you ask, what an epoxy coating is, in this manner?  What is any epoxy?  We may get closer to an answer, that doesn't patronize you, if you tell us, what you know.

[wildfyr]

I too am confused about what is being asked. I certainly feel informed about what is not being asked.

This?

" just tell me what are the substances that may be released from the cured coating layer into the air that is well-established to be harmful,"

That somewhat contradicted by the immediately following sentence:

here is no need to write extensively on - say on-going studies and researches, and there is no need to write anything about the dynamics that those substances interact with human body in.

To give you a complete answer, we generally should furnish you with sources and our reasoning so you can assure yourself that our answers are internally consistent (i.e. "show our work.") I personally feel that the Wikipedia page does due diligence on your question: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy#Health_risks. If the Wiki explanation is too technical, we would be happy to help you work through it.

[SacredOrbit]

I too am confused about what is being asked. I certainly feel informed about what is not being asked.

Hello wildfyr, thank you for your attention and time, sorry about the confusion.

" just tell me what are the substances that may be released from the cured coating layer into the air that is well-established to be harmful,"

That somewhat contradicted by the immediately following sentence:

there is no need to write extensively on - say on-going studies and researches, and there is no need to write anything about the dynamics that those substances interact with human body in.

By that I mean there is no need to (if you don't feel like it) tell me something about substance A that are suspected to be harmful but still undergoing extensive research, all you need to do is to name substance B that is proven to cause irritation to for example, nasal passage in sufficient concentration but no further danger, and cured Epoxy layer will never be able to facilitate that high level of concentration.

To give you a complete answer, we generally should furnish you with sources and our reasoning so you can assure yourself that our answers are internally consistent (i.e. "show our work.") I personally feel that the Wikipedia page does due diligence on your question: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy#Health_risks. If the Wiki explanation is too technical, we would be happy to help you work through it.

The wiki entry isn't so much technical as it is layman-unfriendly. For a professional, it is easy to know A. Why those risks were listed (and others ignored/omitted) and B. what those descriptions which is perfectly understandable by perhaps anyone IMPLIES.

Please allow me to elaborate a bit further:

The primary risk associated with epoxy use is often related to the hardener component and not to the epoxy resin itself.

For me, it seems confusing as why it mentions hardener used in the curing process first instead of epoxy itself. Does that mean hardener residues will be left behind and cause trouble? Does that imply epoxy is so safe, that consumers have more reason to worry about a curing agent (which consumers will never come into contact with, in normal circumstances)?

Also:

Sensitization generally occurs due to repeated exposure (e.g. through poor working hygiene or lack of protective equipment) over a long period of time.

It seems that it is describing something that occurs only during the manufacturing of products on which liquid Epoxy is applied, but that is my guess. There is also a chance that it is saying solidified epoxy, leaching into the air certain molecules, is capable of causing sensitization in consumers after long periods of exposure.

Anyway, my question being: is it fair to say that that short paragraph of the wiki entry covered everything? If so I'll keep working on it.

[SacredOrbit]

Thank you for all the qualifiers, it shows that you're paying attention:  to this forum, and to our over excited world, online and in real life.

Now.


What's the question?

Here is an example of what the answer may look like:

Be careful with toilet uncloggers, most brands may contain NaOH, a chemical that is know to be quite corrosive to skin。

Can you ask, what an epoxy coating is, in this manner?  What is any epoxy?  We may get closer to an answer, that doesn't patronize you, if you tell us, what you know.

Hi, thank your for the reply.

Sorry! I clearly forgot the most important part of asking a question -  asking the actual question... explicitly.

Now, I was going for "What are a list of things that I should worry about (epoxy, in this case)?"  But that's kind of unanswerable. So yes, I think your advice is quite constructive, I'll ask instead:

What are used to make Epoxy, commonly applied on home furniture? Specifically, bed frames.

I think that narrows down things quite a bit!