Rubycon
Madame President
- Aug 10, 2005
- 17,768
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no, that one is called cancer.
Overheating polytetrafluorethylene layers - temperatures in the range of home ovens - is not very high on the scale of carcinogenic by products. Even so a single exposure is of little risk. Similar to the home mechanic whom blows out a brake drum here and there with no ppe, inhaling the asbestos laden fibrous dusts.
Dis assembly of a WWII era aircraft altimeter with radium painted markers, without ppe, however...that's a good way to do some lasting damage to one's lungs. Even though the scintillating agent is long gone (thus no self luminous properties) the radium salts are still present. Powerful alpha emitters, while safe at a few cm distance (even the outer layers of skin stop the particles) if the dust finds its way into the lungs, damage over the long term is very real.
