Epoxy safety inquiry

[stephano]

Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Hi all, I'm new to the forums, and I wanted to stop by to ask for some insight. I've been looking at posts on here for a while now, but I was hoping to find some guidance for the specific situation I'm in (warning: I am definitely not well-educated on these matters, but I will try to explain as much as I can):

BACKGROUND STORY:
A couple of weeks before Christmas, my family decided to have our garage redone. We had a company come in to use a polyaspartic sealant because the original coating was looking a little weathered. Unfortunately, after a couple of days, when my dad believed the floor to be cured, he pulled one of the cars into the garage and found that it left permanent tire marks. We managed to get in contact with the company, and they agreed to redo the job without charge.

As I said before, I am not the most informed on these topics, but I have been learning more how epoxy is used and its advantages/setbacks. One thing I am concerned with is the health hazards it has been presenting me. I may just be a very sensitive person, but the first time that we had the garage sealed, I was in misery for almost two weeks. I had migraines for the first week or so, along with endless coughing and chest pain. I consulted with several doctors and never received a certain answer other than that my symptoms would become less severe with time. It was true; after about two weeks, the garage (which is attached to our house) began to smell less, and the fumes no longer seemed to affect me as much. This made me settle down a bit, however, just this past Friday we had the whole ordeal happen again...

ONTO MY QUESTION:
I have been taking as many precautions as I can to avoid the fumes and symptoms. Since the project was started on Friday, I have been trying to stay out of the house as much as possible during the day, and for several days I stayed with friends and relatives. It has been almost a week since we had the garage resealed. I am now staying at home, on the third floor of the house, with the door shut, an air purifier running, and windows cracked open at every given opportunity. However, I am still experiencing throat/lung irritation, burning eyes, and a frequent cough + headache. I have no idea how much these symptoms stem from the garage itself (which has been open + empty ever since the job was done). My family doesn't seem to notice or be bothered by the fumes.

The company used a product known as Polyaspartic 85. It apparently has no VOCs and does not use solvents. This should be reassuring to me, however, I do not understand what is causing me the irritation. I have been looking at the MSDS sheet, and I was wondering if anyone here could try to find me some answers.

The MSDS sheet can be found under the Epoxy2U products, labelled as Polyaspartic 85. (I would include the links, but I haven't reached the post amount yet )

I apologize for the huge wall of text, but I have been struggling quite a bit with this issue for practically a month now. I would like to know what kind of hazards this product may present and for how long. If there's any more information that I can provide, please let me know, and thanks for any advice.

 

[e-tek]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Strange situation. Judging by the amount of precautions you have and are taking, as well as the low VOC and relative stability of the product ingredient, I'd say you are either extremely sensitive, or it's due to something else. Couple questions to start:
- any other changes, in or out of house? Or neighborhood?
- changed filters in furnace lately?
- new animals, other furniture paint or carpet?
- changes at work, exposures to anything?
Couple suggestions...
Do you have a window in garage? Can you open it and door a few inches? You could also put a fan in window to pull any fumes out.
Will be following this...

 

[stephano]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Right now, the only change in our neighborhood that I can think of is that my next-door neighbor's house is being remodeled. But even then, the house isn't that close to us, and I avoid getting too close to it while it's being worked on. After the garage was resealed, we bought and replaced the filters in our house to the highest quality ones we could find. Other than that, it's been pretty normal, and the only exposure I can think of is the previous time that the garage was done.

As for the suggestions, I'm thinking of moving the air filter to the garage so that it can filter at the source. Even then, though, it's a three car garage, and the doors have been open all week. It's been getting plenty of air, and we plan on keeping the doors open for the rest of the month.

Thank you so much for your response. It could very well be just anxiety from the past experience, but the fumes from the epoxy are still extremely apparent to me.

 

[Factory1EpoxyFloor]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

You may be allergic to MDI within the product. Once fully cured as you can see your symptoms will go away.

 

[jjrbus]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Welcome to my world. Just because modern science and medicine says something will not affect anyone, does not apply to me.

I got laughed at over getting high taking ibuprofen and told it was all in my head. A pharmacist spent some time looking it up and found a study that shows ibuprofen is a mood altering drug for 3 in 100,000 people. This was pre internet when info was hard to come by. I have had a few others over the years.

So could be the epoxy could be something else, get away from it and it goes away, there is your answer.

 

[stephano]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

You may be allergic to MDI within the product. Once fully cured as you can see your symptoms will go away.

Do you have any estimate of how long it will take for it to be fully cured? It says that the cure time is about 4-6 hours on the datasheet.

 

[EricVonHa]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

The off-gassing of the liquids can take weeks.

Some of this is dependent upon climate. Hotter climates with mild humidity will obviously cure past the fume stage quicker.

In between the holidays, I Armorpoxied my garage mahal lobby area and mechanical room. Its been almost 2 weeks from the double-brodcast installation with a clear coat. Every time I enter the 2000sq/ft building it will still tingle my senses. It is actually very noticable. This is at 50 degrees and 50% humidity (totally climate controlled)

The best thing I can say for you is that heat and ventilation are your best friends. An exhaust fan is seeemingly a necessary evil to flow the fumes toward your neighbors and away from your house

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Setting up positive pressure clean air into the house seems like a good idea too.

 

[stephano]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

The off-gassing of the liquids can take weeks.

Some of this is dependent upon climate. Hotter climates with mild humidity will obviously cure past the fume stage quicker.

In between the holidays, I Armorpoxied my garage mahal lobby area and mechanical room. Its been almost 2 weeks from the double-brodcast installation with a clear coat. Every time I enter the 2000sq/ft building it will still tingle my senses. It is actually very noticable. This is at 50 degrees and 50% humidity (totally climate controlled)

The best thing I can say for you is that heat and ventilation are your best friends. An exhaust fan is seeemingly a necessary evil to flow the fumes toward your neighbors and away from your house

Do you know if at this point (1 week from the sealant being applied) if it’s safe to sleep in the house? I’ve run out of options for sleeping at friends/relatives, so I suppose I have no choice. I’ve still been experiencing migraines (most likely stress-induced) to the point where I had to go to the emergency room this morning and have some migraine medicine prescribed.
Will there be any long-term effects towards sleeping there? At this point all I ask for is peace of mind.

 

[stephano]

In regards to my most recent post, which I will share below in the comments:

I was curious how safe it is to sleep in a house that has a recently-sealed epoxy flooring in a connected garage. It has been about one week since the project was done, and on top of being incredibly anxious, I have been suffering from allergy symptoms and migraines for several days.

The epoxy material used was called Polyaspartic 85 by the company Epoxy2U. The MSDS sheet is online and shows that it is a 0 VOC, non-solvent product. The garage has been left wide open and empty this whole week. My dad just completely scrubbed it down with soap this afternoon. Bearing this information in mind, is it safe to sleep in the house at this point? What kind of health effects can I be expected to face both in the short and long term? Many thanks.

 

[stephano]

Here is the original post I made: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412182

 

[kd3pc]

Several days.....almost a week...too long to be screwing around

You need to take the MDS sheets and see a real doctor...correlation is too much of a coincidence to get medical advice here.

Call Epoxy2U and explain...and that you are going to see your MD.

Were it me, I would be couch surfing or a hotel, until I can see the Dr. Else go back to the ER and see a doctor while you are suffering symptoms and tell them migraine is only part of the problem and request a consult with an attending or specialist.

 

[stephano]

Do you mean several days/a week from this point, or from the point that the project was started? Because it has been a week since the epoxy was done, and no one in my family can sense anything or feel any symptoms other than me.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

In regards to my most recent post, which I will share below in the comments:



I was curious how safe it is to sleep in a house that has a recently-sealed epoxy flooring in a connected garage. It has been about one week since the project was done, and on top of being incredibly anxious, I have been suffering from allergy symptoms and migraines for several days.



The epoxy material used was called Polyaspartic 85 by the company Epoxy2U. The MSDS sheet is online and shows that it is a 0 VOC, non-solvent product. The garage has been left wide open and empty this whole week. My dad just completely scrubbed it down with soap this afternoon. Bearing this information in mind, is it safe to sleep in the house at this point? What kind of health effects can I be expected to face both in the short and long term? Many thanks.

your best bet is to contact the manufacturer and have a conversation on your issues and the product.
I am puzzled why you are not contacting them and are putting this out on the Internet?

Frankly, you just might be one of the people out there in the world that are sensitized to these resins. It sounds like you already knew that.

My 2 cents...
If the SDS is is calling for a respirator and “inhalation is toxic” ( from SDS, part A), there is something in there that is not good for you.

That said, once curing has ended, any gases from the product should be gone.

The key is to ventilate well during the curing period.

Lastly, your post is misleading (both of them). Polyaspartic is in Urethane family and is NOT Epoxy, big big difference in chemical composition.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Our crew installs these floors every week, we use the solvent based Polyaspartic and nobody is going to a hotel.

Again, if ventilated during cure, should be a non-issue.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[kd3pc]

Do you mean several days/a week from this point, or from the point that the project was started? Because it has been a week since the epoxy was done, and no one in my family can sense anything or feel any symptoms other than me.

symptoms have been present for that time period...several days to a week

epoxy should be dry, so it is still offing something that irritates you...

get thee to a Dr, these symptoms are telling you that your body is not tolerating your environment well at all...

 

[BillK]

is it safe to sleep in the house at this point? What kind of health effects can I be expected to face both in the short and long term? Many thanks.

The ONLY person that can answer that is the manufacturer of the product or a chemical specialist. I dont see how anyone would expect the average guys on this forum to answer that question ???? There should be a phone number on the MSDS . . . . . . CALL IT !!!!!!

 

[JimNC]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

If you are responding to the gasses, then going to a higher furnace filter isn’t going to help as those are particulate filters. Carbon filter might help, it won’t be as effective as dilution.

If it was me I’d force air out a garage window and open a window in your bedroom to let in fresh air. If you can’t do that, then leave the garage wide open and seal the door from the garage to the house with painter’s tape and then vent the house for a few hours to clear it out.

 

[matt_o_70]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Stephano
Small % of population can develop allergic reaction - read up on it. Might be related to your situation.

https://www.westsystem.com/safety/health-effects-from-overexposure-to-epoxy/

 

[stephano]

Update on Polyaspartic Flooring

The saga continues...
(For context, check out my recent posts https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412378 and https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412182)

A lot of the comments I received in reply to those forums asked me to call the distributor of the product. I finally did that just now, and I received a very confusing answer. The distributor had no idea why I was still reacting or even smelling the product due to the fact that it should technically cure within 24 hours, leaving absolutely no odor behind. That distributor (located in CA) is going to contact a local distributor (here in FL) to try and get some more information. On top of that, he said he will also try to get in contact with the contractors who did the job (two times now). The distributor's only guess to why I am still suffering from the fumes is because the contractors either did not properly mix the ratios of the material or that they cut it with something else to make it thinner/easier to work with. Either way, it is all very frustrating, and I am still experiencing the symptoms from before -- burning eyes, irritated throat, etc.

I'm just hoping to get some proper answers soon. Thanks too all that replied and pushed me reach out to the distributor. I'll try and let y'all know how it goes.

 

[EricVonHa]

Re: Update on Polyaspartic Flooring

Can anyone else smell the fumes when they enter the house? Can anyone else smell the fumes in the garage?

Xylene is commonly used to thin solids products. However, the dry time is within hours. Either way, if incorrectly mixed, the mix would take days to cure. I think you are past the 7 day point now?

If the installed product with other than what you thought you bought, the off-gassing can have a longer duration-- especially with a "thick" installation.

You really need to talk to the contractor. The distributor has no control over what the contractor used.

Has the garage been ventilated? What has the temperature been?

 

[stephano]

Re: Update on Polyaspartic Flooring

Hi @EricVonHa
When my parents enter the house, they can't smell the fumes. They can smell the fumes in the garage a bit, but my dad said he has to stoop low to the floor to really catch a scent of them. Overall, they find the odor to be improving, but I can't agree. I still find the scent to be very strong.

We are at day 9 now. I have started to try and sleep in the house, but I still catch a smell. I am currently sleeping in a bedroom that has a separate A/C unit from the rest of the house, and I try to make sure the air is being purified and well-ventilated. My throat and eyes don't hurt as much, but the migraines/headaches are still very prominent. (At this point, though, the head pain may just be tension headaches from all of the stress, so I really don't know...)

The garage doors have been wide open this entire time, so they are getting plenty of ventilation. Since I'm located in southwest Florida, the temperature hasn't gone below 50º, but the humidity is usually around 70%.

At this point, my parents refuse to redo the garage; they are settling with what they have now, and I have no power in that decision. The first time the contractors did the garage, it was difficult to get into contact with them without having to go directly to their supervisor. I don't know what exactly can be done now other than wait for the fumes to completely dissipate. I'm just hoping that I am not causing myself any harm by spending the evenings in that house.

 

[Ryan]

I merged all of your threads on the same issue into one... It's cleaner and neater to keep things in one place.

Thanks.

 

[12three]

Re: Update on Polyaspartic Flooring

The garage doors have been wide open this entire time...

if the wind blows into the garage it will potentially force fumes into the house. i would actually shut the doors and use powerful exhaust fans as close to the floor as possible for best results. 'ridgid air movers' are probably what i would use. crack one door and line the air movers all up side by side right by the crack in the door so that the air gets pushed out. open the doors fully a handful of times per day when you are certain the wind isnt blowing into the garage. seal up the garage from the house while you are at it.

an 'air purifier' wont do anything for chemicals and compounds. the only easy ways to 'purify' indoor air are to eliminate the source(s) and fill the room in question with tropical houseplants. NASA did a study on this. its fairly widely reported on, look it up. certain tropical house plants remove toxins from the air. some species are significantly better than others at removing certain chems and compounds. you want to fill the room you spend the most time in with a variety of house plants. lowes/homedepot/walmart will have the best prices. garden store will have better selection but higher prices.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Re: Update on Polyaspartic Flooring

if the wind blows into the garage it will potentially force fumes into the house. i would actually shut the doors and use powerful exhaust fans as close to the floor as possible for best results. 'ridgid air movers' are probably what i would use. crack one door and line the air movers all up side by side right by the crack in the door so that the air gets pushed out. open the doors fully a handful of times per day when you are certain the wind isnt blowing into the garage. seal up the garage from the house while you are at it.



an 'air purifier' wont do anything for chemicals and compounds. the only easy ways to 'purify' indoor air are to eliminate the source(s) and fill the room in question with tropical houseplants. NASA did a study on this. its fairly widely reported on, look it up. certain tropical house plants remove toxins from the air. some species are significantly better than others at removing certain chems and compounds. you want to fill the room you spend the most time in with a variety of house plants. lowes/homedepot/walmart will have the best prices. garden store will have better selection but higher prices.

Tape the door seams and almost every house here in Florida has the air conditioning/heating unit in the garage so it’s important to make sure this is off before you start coating or it’s going throughout the house.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Armorpoxy]

We have seen that sometimes contractors use solvents or thinners in the mix even though they are not supposed to as they sometimes like to do this to speed up curing or help flow. Not that the contractor would admit anything, but it is a possibilty that we have seen happen.

 

[stephano]

That's what my main guess was, Armorpoxy.
However, we had a representative from one of the local paint companies oversee this whole operation, and I really don't know if the contractor would've been able to slip anything into the mix under that kind of supervision. Regardless, we are going to try to get the representative to come by the house in the next few days to examine the garage and see what he thinks of the odor and general look of the flooring.

 

[rlitman]

Re: Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Do you know if at this point (1 week from the sealant being applied) if it’s safe to sleep in the house?...I’ve still been experiencing migraines (most likely stress-induced)...

Migraines can be set off by stress, bright lights, and all sorts of harmless odors. My wife can be triggered by the scent of lavender.

Looking past any potential harm fron the migraine itself, we don't have enough information here to say if it is or is not safe, but your migraines are most certainly not a valid test of safety, and do not indicate that any offensive smells you are detecting are dangerous in any way.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

That's what my main guess was, Armorpoxy.
However, we had a representative from one of the local paint companies oversee this whole operation, and I really don't know if the contractor would've been able to slip anything into the mix under that kind of supervision. Regardless, we are going to try to get the representative to come by the house in the next few days to examine the garage and see what he thinks of the odor and general look of the flooring.

This would not necessarily be bad regardless.
Polyaspartics can be thinned and this thinner evaporates as it cures.
It's not uncommon and sometimes it is warranted (temps, texture, etc...)

 

[casmurbax]

any updates?

 

[Mngarage2021]

This is exactly how I feel. You’re not crazy. We had our floor done one week ago. It still has a very strong smell. If I walk in the garage for more than 2 minutes, my nose starts running and I instantly get a headache. Hoping this goes away otherwise we’ll be hiring someone to tear out our new garage floor coating...

 

[FJ4FUN]

As Scotty/Legacy noted previously, Polyapartic is NOT an Epoxy, it is actually a Polyurea.

 

[MichaelBM]

Hi Stefano and MNGarage21,
I had polyaspartic flooring installed in my garage two weeks ago and I have been struggling with the exact same symptoms you described. I have had a headache, irritated throat and eyes and a constricted chest. If I go near the garage even briefly I get worse. The headache is now almost nonstop. And the weird thing is that my family doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. I have hired a contractor to remove the flooring (which is going to cost almost as much as the installation). I really hope both of you are feeling better. Any update or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Spacep0d]

Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Hi all, I'm new to the forums, and I wanted to stop by to ask for some insight. I've been looking at posts on here for a while now, but I was hoping to find some guidance for the specific situation I'm in (warning: I am definitely not well-educated on these matters, but I will try to explain as much as I can):

BACKGROUND STORY:
A couple of weeks before Christmas, my family decided to have our garage redone. We had a company come in to use a polyaspartic sealant because the original coating was looking a little weathered. Unfortunately, after a couple of days, when my dad believed the floor to be cured, he pulled one of the cars into the garage and found that it left permanent tire marks. We managed to get in contact with the company, and they agreed to redo the job without charge.

As I said before, I am not the most informed on these topics, but I have been learning more how epoxy is used and its advantages/setbacks. One thing I am concerned with is the health hazards it has been presenting me. I may just be a very sensitive person, but the first time that we had the garage sealed, I was in misery for almost two weeks. I had migraines for the first week or so, along with endless coughing and chest pain. I consulted with several doctors and never received a certain answer other than that my symptoms would become less severe with time. It was true; after about two weeks, the garage (which is attached to our house) began to smell less, and the fumes no longer seemed to affect me as much. This made me settle down a bit, however, just this past Friday we had the whole ordeal happen again...

ONTO MY QUESTION:
I have been taking as many precautions as I can to avoid the fumes and symptoms. Since the project was started on Friday, I have been trying to stay out of the house as much as possible during the day, and for several days I stayed with friends and relatives. It has been almost a week since we had the garage resealed. I am now staying at home, on the third floor of the house, with the door shut, an air purifier running, and windows cracked open at every given opportunity. However, I am still experiencing throat/lung irritation, burning eyes, and a frequent cough + headache. I have no idea how much these symptoms stem from the garage itself (which has been open + empty ever since the job was done). My family doesn't seem to notice or be bothered by the fumes.

The company used a product known as Polyaspartic 85. It apparently has no VOCs and does not use solvents. This should be reassuring to me, however, I do not understand what is causing me the irritation. I have been looking at the MSDS sheet, and I was wondering if anyone here could try to find me some answers.

The MSDS sheet can be found under the Epoxy2U products, labelled as Polyaspartic 85. (I would include the links, but I haven't reached the post amount yet )

I apologize for the huge wall of text, but I have been struggling quite a bit with this issue for practically a month now. I would like to know what kind of hazards this product may present and for how long. If there's any more information that I can provide, please let me know, and thanks for any advice.

It sounds an awful lot like you're reacting to either something in the flooring chemistry or the odor itself.

Expanding on this, it doesn't need to be a sensitivity to the flooring chemistry per se; it could be a sensitivity to the odor itself—or both.

For my experience, I have an insanely good sense of smell, like sommelier level. This happened because I lost a lot of my hearing at a young age and I think my olfactory sense got a few more neurons. That's the story I go with, but yeah I've always had a keen sense of smell. This means that on occasion, I'm deeply bothered by odors that others either don't smell or seem to be wholly unbothered by. This is the primary reason I chose Racedeck flooring over epoxy or similar because I was worried about exactly the situation you're describing. Some smells absolutely will cause migraines for me....and nausea, sometimes leading to vomiting. This could be as simple as Axe body spray I cannot escape, a co-worker (in offices) with smelly perfume that never stops irritating me, or something harsher such as epoxy/flooring chemicals or something else I shouldn't be breathing.

Sounds like it's the flooring chemicals based on your description and answers to questions. Some follow-up;

1. Have you experienced anything like this before?

2. If you were to stay somewhere else for a few days, do you think your symptoms would go away? That might be worth trying....falsifying or verifying the theory or at least noting the results.

3. Do you know anyone else with a keen sense of smell who can verify the odor? Regular people miss this stuff, and I have my entire life of people saying 'what smell' as my anecdotal proof. It's maddening at times.

Overarching point, even if you're not 'reacting' to the chemicals in the epoxy itself, you could simply having an adverse reaction to the odors alone, because I know this has happened to me and it's both predictable and demonstrable.

You cannot always rely on verification from others. I've always been surprised how little people are bothered by odors which horrify me and make me sick. Your symptoms don't lie, and it's not just in your head (at least, you're not imagining it).

If it were me...and this is harsh I know....remove ALLLLL of that floor coating and go with a floating flooring system like Racedeck, after that garage floor is stripped clean and washed. You seem to have a sensitivity to epoxy and it's not worth risking your health, not to mention the misery you're experiencing. I'm sure I would have the same reaction based on my history.

Your migraines ARE an indicator that something is dangerous, and migraines themselves can cause brain damage (sounds crazy but Google it) or vertigo, not to mention vomiting and the usual suffering that comes with migraines. If I were you, I'd rip out that flooring and just replace it with plastic tiles. Your health is too important. Maybe stay somewhere else in the meantime, but no garage floor is worth the misery you're experiencing.

 

[Spacep0d]

The ONLY person that can answer that is the manufacturer of the product or a chemical specialist. I dont see how anyone would expect the average guys on this forum to answer that question ???? There should be a phone number on the MSDS . . . . . . CALL IT !!!!!!

I think a chemist/doctor might be an even better bet than the manufacturer, only because the manufacturer would have a natural aversion to lawsuits or revealing too much. Definitely sounds like the OP needs to fix this situation. If it were me I'd tear all of that flooring up and install tiles....with no odors to worry about at all.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi the coating you are referring to is not an epoxy but a Polyaspartic 85% solids the rest being solvents which are outgassing hence your issues. These should dissipate over time. Good ventilation and even mopping can help.

We carry 100% solids polyaspartics but often customers do t want to use them as they are expensive (solvents cheap, solids expensive) since diluted coatings always cost less. The 100% solids are also a bit tough to work with and may need very slight thing to flow properly. Epoxies don’t usually have this issue.

If anyone is planning on using a polyaspartic and this odor issue can be a potential problem contact us for info and pricing on 100% solids epoxy or polyaspartics.

 

[irislevy]

Struggling with symptoms from epoxy

Hi all, I'm new to the forums, and I wanted to stop by to ask for some insight. I've been looking at posts on here for a while now, but I was hoping to find some guidance for the specific situation I'm in (warning: I am definitely not well-educated on these matters, but I will try to explain as much as I can):

BACKGROUND STORY:
A couple of weeks before Christmas, my family decided to have our garage redone. We had a company come in to use a polyaspartic sealant because the original coating was looking a little weathered. Unfortunately, after a couple of days, when my dad believed the floor to be cured, he pulled one of the cars into the garage and found that it left permanent tire marks. We managed to get in contact with the company, and they agreed to redo the job without charge.

As I said before, I am not the most informed on these topics, but I have been learning more how epoxy is used and its advantages/setbacks. One thing I am concerned with is the health hazards it has been presenting me. I may just be a very sensitive person, but the first time that we had the garage sealed, I was in misery for almost two weeks. I had migraines for the first week or so, along with endless coughing and chest pain. I consulted with several doctors and never received a certain answer other than that my symptoms would become less severe with time. It was true; after about two weeks, the garage (which is attached to our house) began to smell less, and the fumes no longer seemed to affect me as much. This made me settle down a bit, however, just this past Friday we had the whole ordeal happen again...

ONTO MY QUESTION:
I have been taking as many precautions as I can to avoid the fumes and symptoms. Since the project was started on Friday, I have been trying to stay out of the house as much as possible during the day, and for several days I stayed with friends and relatives. It has been almost a week since we had the garage resealed. I am now staying at home, on the third floor of the house, with the door shut, an air purifier running, and windows cracked open at every given opportunity. However, I am still experiencing throat/lung irritation, burning eyes, and a frequent cough + headache. I have no idea how much these symptoms stem from the garage itself (which has been open + empty ever since the job was done). My family doesn't seem to notice or be bothered by the fumes.

The company used a product known as Polyaspartic 85. It apparently has no VOCs and does not use solvents. This should be reassuring to me, however, I do not understand what is causing me the irritation. I have been looking at the MSDS sheet, and I was wondering if anyone here could try to find me some answers.

The MSDS sheet can be found under the Epoxy2U products, labelled as Polyaspartic 85. (I would include the links, but I haven't reached the post amount yet )

I apologize for the huge wall of text, but I have been struggling quite a bit with this issue for practically a month now. I would like to know what kind of hazards this product may present and for how long. If there's any more information that I can provide, please let me know, and thanks for any advice.

Hi Stethanol,

Did you ever resolve your issue.

We have a very similar problem for the last 6 months, did you use Granite Garage Floor for the install?

Looks & Lasts Like Granite

Upgrade your garage floors. The epoxy garage floor coating system that Looks & Lasts Like Granite. Residential & Commercial. Life Time Satisfaction Warranty

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[Armorpoxy]

The product used in your home most definitely has solvents which could be causing your symptoms. Check online for the SDS safety data sheets for full tech and hazard info.

Normally the solvents evaporate out leaving the solids so the problem should rectify itself over time. There are cases reported though where outgasssing continues for a very long time so if you are sensitive to this remedial actions including removing the floor may have to be taken.

There are a number of posts on GJ about this with polyaspartics over the years.

Good ventilation and heat to help it cure out will help.