The Hidden or not so Hidden Health Cost of BJDs

...Restringing big dolls hurt. Tiny S hooks hurt. Hot glue gun hurts. Exact-o knives hurt.
squinting to get a line straight or to position the eyes right can also be a health cost. >_>
And I tend to hunch over, making the psine really bad... but it's the same in office jobs.

Maybe allergies from second hand dolls with pets/smoke or to airborn resin?
Resin dust is bad for your lungs, as is MSC.

Mental health wise, I'm no so sure.

 

The obvious health downsides are pretty well documented in the Customising forum warnings to be honest! Essentially, any prolonged exposure to casting or sanding resin or indeed anything else that involves you inhaling resin dust will cause you issues with, amongst other things, lung damage and skin allergies. Ditto for inhaling MSC or other sealant based fumes and that's not mentioning the various inhaled nasties you can find in the things we use to remove faceups and the like too.

Of course there are plenty of things you can do to prevent yourself getting damaged by the long term abuse, wearing respirators, gloves and long sleeves when sanding and things, it's not COMPULSORY that you end up with the burning chest when you breathe and itchy skin after all! Think of those of us who have ended up with these things as a living warning to not think that resin's a nicely harmless susbstance

There are health issues with a lot of hobbies, and most people going into the serious side of customisation are well aware of the consequences of using sealants and inhaling resin fumes when sanding myself included, so to answer the question, yes, I know the health costs, and it hasn't stopped me in the slightest!

 

Walking half a mile in four inches of snow to the post office because you can't wait the six days it will take your boyfriend to drive you down there. Yep. That's one they don't tell you about.

 

I'd call a nice walk in the snow a + for health! And half a mile is barely anything, TBH. If that seems too far, it would probably be seriously good for your health to walk more. D:

 

Yeah, the fumes of isopropyl aint good at all :P :P the soap and Oxy cleaners do dry my hands like a mother fudger. The sanding as well is quite an art on its own. The use of sealants, be it MSC, Citadel, whatever, does make it quite harsh for the lungs :P The srringing can be a pain in the butt or on the fingers. My last one was having the flesh of my leg trapped between the leg joint of my doll. I was holding him really tight and then i felt a pinch which left me with a beautiful dolly love bruise :P

 

Doesn't Detroit get a fair bit of snow? Not trying to rain on your parade, it just seems like an odd statement/complaint to make if you live in a place that does get that sort of weather in the wintertime.

 

I can tell you exactly what one doll cost me in health care. For those of you who don't know this story, here it goes:

I received my Soom MA Deneb for Xmas 2008. She was always intended to be my 18th Century French Countess. Shortly after the new year, I spied a perfectly sized, cast iron, Chipendale chair on Ebay. The seller stated that the chair was an antique. When it arrived, one of the back leg was snapped off at the screw. Seller refused to make good on the poor packing job (and no xtra ins. paid by me-my bad) so I tried to figure out a way to make a solid repair w/o actually welding the leg back on.

After much research, I decided to use Cold Weld Cement epoxy. Off to my local hardware store I went on a VERY slippery, snowy morning in February. On my way into the store, I slipped on an icy patch in the parking lot. Fell down and broke my right elbow in 3 places. Had surgery, 2 screws, and was off work for 2 months.

Then to add insult to injury...6 weeks after I returned to my job (and a company that I had worked for for 11 years), I was let go due to economic cutbacks. Basically, my position was eliminated.

CONCLUSION: That doll chair cost me more than you can ever imagine! I did get it fixed, but later purchased another identical chair from someone else who informed me it was only 5 years old.

 

Really I don't thinkl there should be any major health risks in owning or modifying BJDs. If you get the MSD sheets on the substances you'rte using, or if your sanding or casting resin, you should KNOW about the material you're using, and don't use it until you'e educated yourself!
I eentually want to cast in resin...But I'm not een going to go there until I can get the right safety gear.

I learned my lesson caring wood. I LOE caring wood with pneumatic tools. I did it at school for four years. I wore eye protection of course, but I would just wear a tshirt, and one of those disposable masks. Now? if I go near pine wood with a dremmel or anything in hand that would make sawdust? My arms break out in hives, my chest gets tights. Even breathing anywhere near Pinesol anymore gets reactions.

So! just take all necessary precautions!

 

There are health risks to anything involving sealers, sanding, painting, etc. That's why I 1) spent the time to read LOTS in the customization forum and research what I was doing ahead of time and 2) spent the $30 on a respirator. It's way cheaper than the medical bills would have been down the road.

 

Anything has dangers, honestly. Any hobby that doesn't involve sitting in a plastic, sterile bubble has risks. This particular hobby uses a lot of fairly dangerous chemicals not to mention lots of sharp, snappy, pokey, hurty things. Fortunately, said sharp, snappy, pokey, hurty things are not likely to be lethal. However, things like sealant and resin dust can be very dangerous, even fatal if you are overexposed to them or have a severe allergic reaction to them. Luckily for us, there are LOTS of precautions we can take, especially if we're hypersensitive to things. Some people might break out in a horrible rash just from getting resin dust on their arm while others (like myself) can sand it and get it all over them without any (immediate) ill effects. As with anything, though, if there is ANY chance you have a predisposition to being sensitive to these chemicals (and chances are, there is a very good chance. Humans aren't designed to be around this stuff constantly) then over time, their effects will build up and can make you very ill - think of it like this, someone (like myself) might be predisposed to having a peanut allergy but after years of being slowly exposed, they have become allergic (yeah, story of my life. *sigh* No more Reese's.). Basically, just protect yourself and you don't need to worry very much until you've been around it a LOT. Then there might be issues.

All this said: yes, I know the health risks and I still adore my dollies. Wouldn't give em up!

 

Common sense is always a plus ^^ as soon as anything stinks of oil, acetone or "toxic" i run outside, grab a mask and stay in the outdoors with dolls and all, so not fumes can get to my rather perforated lungs LOL, most importantly my daughter's skin is EXTREMELY sensitive, so i do hanges or play with fumes when she is napping or being babysat by her granny.

 

Andergib, that's awful! Is your elbow ok now? Did you get another job? You were very brave to buy a second duplicate chair.

 

Thank you Okieinalaska for your thoughts!
It was my right elbow (I'm right handed) and it still burns and hurts. I have issues with my shoulder, because I have to compensate for the lack of range of motion I have, and my strength and reach is slowly returning.

There is a pending personal injury lawsuit and I am still unemployed. My 1 yr injury anniversary is coming up Feb 23. 2009 was a crapy year so I'm hoping for better things in 2010!

 

^This. I live in Alaska! Its much worse here. I do not like ordering things in the winter much, or selling things.. I will not walk in below 0 weather, in three to four feet of snow to the post office! Frost bite anyone?

 

Oooh, I wouldn't ever live in Alaska. Twenty degrees is cold enough for me, at below zero I might actually have to get a car!

 

LOL I've walked in two feet of snow to my post office (which is one mile each way). I wouldn't call it a health risk, just tiring

 

Surely all this talk of "going out and slipping" isn't really related to dolls, but related to going outside in general? Would you say going out to eat is dangerous because you might slip?

 

I would be interested in knowing what people might know about the effects of the resin 'outgassing' over time. I don't smell my dolls, but if I leave one in the box for a long period of time, when I open the box I get that 'resin smell', so they are definitely still outgassing after 7-8 years now.

 

tch. I walk everywhere, never have owned a car. I guess our post office is about a half-mile from us, and we don't get home delivery, so it's just part of the routine to 'check mail' on the way home from work, whether it is -20°C or -40°C. If you're properly dressed, it's no big deal (in fact, even if you are in a vehicle, you should have proper clothing for the weather, right?). I do take a cab home when picking up dolls, though, regardless of temp - especially if they're big 'uns - I am dreadfully clumbsy and in terror of tripping and falling with my new baby!

I was concerned that working on super-tiny faceups and sewing was affecting my eyesight, but the eye doctor assured me my eyes were very good for my age and it was actually a positive thing, helping to keep the muscles in them strong and supple. I was just made more-aware of the subtle and inevitable changes that come with aging, and this was also a good thing, as I would know when it was time to get glasses or if there was any serious change, which could indicate a health issue.

As for the chemical risks with dolls, that comes with everything in our environment these days, it seems. At least with dolls, you have the choice to take sensible precautions and use appropriate safety gear.