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Cancerous chalk

rolsen

13-Oct-2004
4:31:47 PM

An ad in Rock talks about their chalk not having potentially cancerous drying agents in it! Any one with any other info on this?


mousey

13-Oct-2004
5:04:02 PM

ages ago i think therewas a big thing about how inhaling to much of the normal stuff might be carcenogenic, i can seehow it might be a problem for indoor gyms and gymnastics centers but unless you're sprinkling iton your fruit loopsfor extraflavour i cant see how the original stuff is dangerous....seems like a 'customer comfort' marketing thing to me


climbau

13-Oct-2004
5:09:19 PM

My theory is that because it is ground stone, inhaling the chalk could result in your lungs being scratched up by the fine stone particles. Also I reckon that the risk would be greates in gyms and confined spaces (i.e Hollow Mtn/ bouldering caves in gyms).
Of course this is just my hypothesis, and i have no scientific evidence to back it up.


vwills

13-Oct-2004
5:34:31 PM

Tried and failed with a medline search, probably due to wrong keyword selection. I have been wondering whether inhaled chalk or rock dust from drilling could result in lung disease (such as silicosis). I wear eye protection when I drill but have recently been thinking that a mask would be a good idea as well- just look what you blow out your nose an hour after putting in a few bolts....

13-Oct-2004
5:48:16 PM

No wonder! The bolts are meant to go in the rock!

REXONASHAKEWELL

13-Oct-2004
11:13:29 PM

INHALING ROCK DUST IS DEFINITELY A RISK FOR SILICOSIS, AND NOT RECCOMMENDED, BUT SILICOSIS IS DUE TO PROLONGED EXPOSURE AND ALTHOUGH I wouldn't advocate concentrating and inhaling rock dust, you see plenty of brickies etc inhaling shitloads of the stuff daily, not wearing masks for mucho reasons and not getting it. I doubt the amount of rock dust you inhale is even significant by comparison to a typical underground miner or a brickie. I personally would wear a mask.
as for the chalk debate Real chalk is mostly magnesium carbonate, probably with a bit of calcium carbonate depending on the source rock. Both these substances are not harmful and your body could quite easily dissolve them and transport them out of whereever it gets in. What I dont know is what and if weird and wonderful chemicals are added to the stuff to ensure it stays dry blah technology. Also there is a possibility that a small trace of the natural stuff is something else that is harmful, will look into it but only out of curiousity I wouldn't worry about, mostly these dusts at our exposure level are an eye risk as youv'e already mentioned no safety glasses bolting would probably be stupid.


AlanD

13-Oct-2004
11:55:42 PM

On 13/10/2004 rolsen wrote:
>An ad in Rock talks about their chalk not having potentially cancerous
>drying agents in it! Any one with any other info on this?

But are the other products including traditional chalk, cancerous? Common advertising ploy to make your product sound better, safer etc by implying there is something wrong with the other products.

REXONASHAKEWELL

14-Oct-2004
1:07:39 AM

sorry just re reread my post, and its barely understandable, what I meant to say is natural chalk may contain a trace of something thats nasty, but hey all natural granite for example is a trace radio active and is only a problem in places like england where they build deep cellars over the stuff and the heavier than air radon gas released accumulates oops off topic, but I will find out. Wow chalk might even have some Uranium

as for chalk additives dont know and dont know why they'd bother, chalks pretty drying naturally if you had to add something to keep it that way maybe that would stop it workng in the first place

anyway, found this http://list.mc.duke.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9605&L=occ-env-med-l&F=&S=&P=8561 expert skirts the question goes ehhh

REXONASHAKEWELL

14-Oct-2004
1:15:06 AM

IMO if your going to worrry about an occupational dust exposure in climbing the real worry is probably all the lichen and algal dusts, which is too fine to see, (except the big chunks that always sail straight into your eyes, when you try and look at whats falling towards you) and the mildew on your tent, (mine stinks).


phil box

14-Oct-2004
8:01:32 AM

As far as lung diseases goes, smokers have about a hundred times more potential to get any of the lung diseases even the bad ones like mesothelioma and asbestosis. The fact is that a smokers lungs are damaged to start with and cannot remove particles that go down into the lungs. So the particles sit there and an irritation sets up and thus sets up the ideal conditions for these types of diseases. Do yourselves a favour, don`t smoke.


Breezy

14-Oct-2004
8:24:27 AM

- "Do yourselves a favour, don`t smoke."

Didnt think you where supposed to smoke the chalk ? Maybe thats why i cant climb harder :P


mousey

14-Oct-2004
8:38:25 AM

dontsmokechalk dude, ifyou'rereally keen on climbing hard, snort thestuff through a rolled up page of theguidebook, but dont use the index pages you'll need them later,
while we're off the topic, howdo you fix a nonworkin spacebar ?


rodw

14-Oct-2004
9:12:54 AM

You buy a new keyborard for $10, tell ya mum you need it now for studying, you gotta milk this HSC thing for all its worth.


mousey

14-Oct-2004
9:45:19 AM

do ya reckon i could pass off a new pair of shoes as a study requirement?

14-Oct-2004
11:17:42 AM

Chalk does present a health danger. It has killed. A pool player, believe it or not. Minnesota (Memphis? some American place) Fats (or slim or some BMI) died as a result of inhaling it everytime he chalked up his cue. From my really hazy memory it was silicosis, but I could be wrong.


Breezy

14-Oct-2004
11:25:01 AM

Not sure of the story you refer to but his name was Minnesota Fats.
What a bloody great name :)

shepp

14-Oct-2004
1:07:35 PM

Minesota fats was the pool player in "the hustler", a cool old movie about pool hustlers. Don't think that anyone ever was actually named Minesota fats, character was based on a another guy, don't know his name but it wasn't MF.


rodw

14-Oct-2004
2:12:26 PM

Just tell ya mum the new keyboard is worth $200 and your sweet, just remember once you have finished school all those text books can be sold of for a tiny profit....Im sure they are good as new quality....some would still be in the plastic wouldnt they?

Re someone dieing of pool dust, you dont think all the smoking (passive included) & excessive drinking would have also been a likely cause?

14-Oct-2004
2:43:29 PM

>howdo you fix a nonworkin spacebar ?

Don't know much about computers but you sure its not a PEBKAC error?


mousey

14-Oct-2004
4:47:52 PM

no i think it might be a TOOMUCHLAGERSPILLAGE error. anyway it sometimes works andsometimes doesn', so when its not working ill go and study

There are 31 messages in this topic.