Brake Cleaner

[Treeman]

Tetrachloroethylene: (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0599.html)
NIOSH REL: Potentially Carcinogenic - minimize workplace exposure concentrations.
OSHA PEL: TWA 100 ppm, Ceiling 200 ppm (for 5 minutes in any 3-hour period), with a maximum peak of 300 ppm.

Acetone: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0004.html
NIOSH REL: TWA 250 ppm
OSHA PEL: TWA 1000 ppm

So basically if you prefer to listen to NIOSH, you should be aiming for ZERO exposure to tetrachloroethylene, while 250ppm exposure to acetone is the limit for an 10-hour day.
If you prefer to listen to OSHA then the permissible exposure for acetone for an 8-hour day is ten times that for tetrachloroethylene.

As a further data point, the EPA limit for tetrachloroethylene in drinking water is .005 mg/L (the same as benzene). The EPA goal level for tetrachloroethylene is zero (because it's probably carcinogenic). Meanwhile acetone is not even listed in the MCL tables.

What it boils down to is that tetrachloroethylene is very nasty stuff that's probably carcinogenic in addition to causing many other ailments, while acetone occurs naturally in your body in small quantities and has known metabolic pathways that are not harmful.

Frankly I don't understand why anyone would use tetrachloroethylene outside of a highly controlled environment. I dont allow stuff like this in my garage - it's simply not worth the health risk.

Lots of chemicals/solvents are dangerous and most people ignore reading the use labels. Not to play down your excellent post, but there are other things that we handle daily/weekly without regard to similar (but weaker) warnings to the tetrachloroethylene. One good example is gasoline. Similarities: Exposure - inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion, skin and/or eye contact. Target Organs - Eyes, skin, respiratory system, central nervous system, liver, kidneys. Cancer Site - [in animals: liver & kidney cancer] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0299.html

My point is don't discount other chemicals we use regularly as safer because they are socially accepted as o.k..

And, professionals with potential daily exposure to these things should be especially more careful. A homeowner spraying Roundup 2 or 3 times a year with proper PPE is (almost) nothing compared to a professional lawn care applicator exposed daily. Same idea with these other chemicals like brake cleaner. Sadly, diyers generally have no education about PPE, exposure levels, etc.. Be careful everyone. Educate yourself with facts and be a self advocate for safety. We all know the danger of brake cleaner and welding!

 

[Fedwrench]

I thought that's what blow guns were for. You can beat the book today but your not going to beat cancer tomorrow.

Blow guns, that's probably worse than brake clean

i have techs that blow dry brake dust They help the brake clean evaporate by blowing it, which spreads the toxic fumes even further
No one thinks about things down the road. It's all for the moment at hand.

It's like I tell my environmental peeps when they visit, everything in this shop sitting in a container on a shelf wants to kill us. None of the chemicals or fluids we use, are healthy for us.

 

[Wrapitinbacon]

3m no longer makes brake cleaner, the stepped out at the end of summer. Crc pn 05088 is a good substitute because it is high in heptane like the 3m.

 

[like2wheel]

You guys realize the the oz on the can are net weight not fluid ounces?
Mass not volume, so the comparison w/ gallons is wrong unless you know the gallon weight.

 

[Schurkey]

I cut my brake cleaner use to about 1/3 of previous, by doing the initial cleaning with a garden sprayer filled with mineral spirits.

Does the same job of wetting the brake dust so it doesn't become airborne, does the same job of rinsing the loose stuff into the drain pan.

The only use for brake cleaner then, is the "final spray" to remove the mineral spirits.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

I like this Napa stuff, it’s pretty cheap ($3.99) and it does everything I use it for, degreasing, cleaning carbs and its very flammable so its good at being starting fluid.
-Tommy

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MAC4810

 

[LWB]

3m no longer makes brake cleaner, the stepped out at the end of summer. Crc pn 05088 is a good substitute because it is high in heptane like the 3m.

I'm using CRC and just looked up the SDS. Not to bad...

https://www.era-env.com/ERAWcfService/getmsdscontent.svc/?key=JBKg6NDl9o2QBL%2formyuOg%3d%3d&value=UB%2fHI5CDZKA%3d

Top two ingredients.

https://www.collectioncare.org/MSDS/naphthamsds.pdf

https://faculty.uscupstate.edu/labmanager/SDS%20Files/3105-Heptane.pdf

I pick this up once and a while. Not anymore.

https://www.princessauto.com/file/general/8201907_sds_00_01_12_31_99.pdf

 

[Steve_P]

I only started watching youtube auto repair videos about a year ago, and I was totally shocked at how much brake clean was being used. I guess when it costs $3 a can and you charge $5-10 for shop supplies per repair, people feel they can use it like it's water. Like another post said, I typically start with mineral spirits to do the majority of the work when trying to remove heavy oil coatings.

 

[Jlarson]

You haven't seen brake cleaner use until you work with field mechanics lol.

I think recently the cheapest prices, non commercial acct, I've seen recently was Walmart's brand and Blaster at Home Depot.

 

[humpty]

3m no longer makes brake cleaner, the stepped out at the end of summer. Crc pn 05088 is a good substitute because it is high in heptane like the 3m.

They still have an acetone based brake cleaner, did they just discontinue the chlorinated?

 

[charbar]

Watch for the parts store's brands to go on sale. I always used 3M but only buy a bit here and there anymore, and it only gets used when I really need the good stuff. Not a fan of CRC. I've switched over to mainly CarQuest brand stuff since it works pretty well and goes on sale a decent amount. Just got 25 cases of it the other week for 2.25 or 2.75 a can when it was on sale.

 

[Houdini5150]

Thankfully I don't buy it often. I just use to spray over during oil changes and when I have done brakes on the cars. Outside of that it lasts me good while, curious what the standard shelf life is in the AZ heat.

 

[M635_Guy]

I found this useful

 

[Treeman]

You guys realize the the oz on the can are net weight not fluid ounces?
Mass not volume, so the comparison w/ gallons is wrong unless you know the gallon weight.

Oh, man, thank you for the correction! I did NOT catch that.

I called CRC tech support and the excellent person there named Scot told me that approximately 7.5 cans of the CRC PRO 29 oz. cans would equal about a gallon of fluid content. 7.5 x $5.33 (Menards price) = $39.98 per gallon. Still, very comparable to the bulk gallon rate mentioned above ($39).

 

[theoldwizard1]

...7.5 of the CRC PRO 29 oz. cans would equal about a gallon of fluid content. 7.5 x $5.33 (Menards price) = $39.98 per gallon.

Just picked up 2 cans at Menards. $5.99 before rebate.