# Health Side effects of cutting Vinyl Siding



## MarkGreer (Sep 10, 2014)

I've worked a few years at Home Depot in millwork, a few years in outside sales for various window and exteriors contractors when I was younger, and now I am semi-retired doing the physical labor installing vinyl siding for a multi-crew siding contractor. 

Over the years, I've heard a few horror stories of people having severe side effects from working in the vinyl product factory. 

I know that vinyl is extremely cancerous if inhaled when burned.

I installed some amazing Mastic Cedar Discovery 9.5" vinyl shake on my house and one of the big selling points is that there was no vinyl dust when you cut it in the saw. 

After 5 work days working for a high-speed crew installing double 4 as cut man, I've noticed some unusual nose and throat irritation, likely from inhaling the vinyl saw dust all day. Has anyone heard of any health issues regarding this?


----------



## Red Adobe (Jul 26, 2008)

if your worried were a mask...... i cut with shears so no dust or noise


----------



## MarkGreer (Sep 10, 2014)

Unfortunately, shears are not an option - I am often cutting 4 panels at once through the saw.

I could probably make sure I am upwind. I was planning on trying a mask. I still think that melted/burnt vinyl smell that comes out of the saw will get through. And that dust sticks to you thanks to static electricity.


----------



## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Wear a mask - a good paper one with a valve. Ignore any comments from you co-workers; it's your health. I have a carpenter who wears a paper mask 8 hours - good for him.


----------



## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

It's just common sense that breathing dust of _any_ kind isn't good for you. Occasional exposure generally isn't a big deal for a healthy individual, but chronic/occupational is. Your body never gets a chance to clean itself out and/or heal.

Wear a mask. :thumbsup:


----------



## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

Not that it matters, but this is the first time I'm heading about this. Great. Something what to worry about.

I also cut vinyl with a saw: fine tooth in reverse.


----------



## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

jb4211 said:


> Not that it matters, but this is the first time I'm heading about this. Great. Something what to worry about.


Never have been a fan of plastic, so another reason.



> Vinyl siding is made primarily of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a durable and cheap plastic often used in construction. When PVC is heated up or burned, such as in very hot weather or a fire, it will release formaldehyde, hydrogen chloride, and dioxin into the air,
> 
> In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided numerous storm victims with temporary trailers made using PVC. As a result, a number of victims experienced respiratory problems and nosebleeds. Critics accused FEMA of placing innocent people into “toxic tin cans.” Scientific studies conducted to determine the reason for these illnesses found that formaldehyde was a likely culprit.
> 
> http://sidingmagazine.com/siding-information/vinyl-siding-health-concerns/


----------



## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

jb4211 said:


> Not that it matters, but this is the first time I'm heading about this. Great. Something what to worry about.
> 
> I also cut vinyl with a saw: fine tooth in reverse.


Same goes for pressure treated wood too. :blink:


----------



## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

I was aware of that.
Just not vinyl


----------



## dielectricunion (Feb 27, 2013)

Vinyl is some pretty toxic crap. It definitely produces multitudes of cheap and resilient building materials but also has a serious flip side.


----------



## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

dielectricunion said:


> It definitely produces multitudes of cheap and resilient building materials but also has a serious flip side.


Man, that'd be an excellent quote.


----------



## Patrick (Apr 12, 2006)

Pretty sure just about anything on earth ground up into particles and breathed in are bad for you.


----------



## mstrat (Jul 10, 2013)

Was wondering the very same thing yesterday...today i switched to shears...slower, but then again, so is cancer...not sure the long term effects, but as Bob said, it's your health, so I'll take it a little easy when I can.


----------



## MarkGreer (Sep 10, 2014)

Its not necessarily just the dust. When PVC is heated by the saw blade, it releases toxic chemicals into the air (that burning smell). Few paper masks will block that. Also found this 93 minute documentary on the cancerous effects of Vinyl Siding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amz5RzVYpLo


----------



## mstrat (Jul 10, 2013)

ha! When I have the time, I should watch the whole version of that film...the fact it looks so hippie like from word go actually makes me laugh regardless of the science behind it.


----------



## RangoWA (Jun 25, 2014)

Vinyl isn't going to be absorbed in your body so it certainly would be an irritant. I've done my fair share of breathing harmful crap but try to be smarter about it these days. Definitely invest in a comfortable quality mask and I would wear goggles as well but partly to keep my glasses form getting dusty. Is the saw on a vacuum system? That's another thing to think about.


----------



## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

MarkGreer, I came into the thread to post a link to Blue Vinyl.

Quality watch.


----------



## Texas Wax (Jan 16, 2012)

Oh my God, I'm gonna die from all that vinyl siding I put up in the 80's?

Or 

will the asbestos tile in the house I grew up in, get me first?


----------



## RangoWA (Jun 25, 2014)

It isn't funny. I breathed a lot of paint, ink, chemical, etc. fumes and cedar dust, etc. We are not invulnerable and by the time symptoms show up it's often too late. I'm still in good health but I wish I had been smarter.


----------



## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

I'd be more worried breathing in Azek dust than what comes off vinyl siding.

I also use shears.


----------

