Osha recommends to never use compressed air for personal cleaning, but they don’t really say why. The second link gives a handful of reason why not to do it:
Compressed air accidentally blown into the mouth can rupture the lungs, stomach or intestines.
Compressed air can enter the navel, even through a layer of clothing, and inflate and rupture the intestines.
Compressed air can enter the bloodstream, and death is possible if it makes its way to blood vessels in the brain. Upon reaching the brain, pockets of air may lead to a stroke.
Direct contact with compressed air can lead to serious medical conditions and even death. Even safety nozzles which regulate compressed air pressure below 30 psi should not be used to clean the human body. If an air pocket reaches the heart, it causes symptoms similar to a heart attack.
As little as 12 pounds of compressed air pressure can blow an eye out of its socket.
Ok,
So don’t inject yourself with the compressed air gun. Don’t use the compressed air gun as a periscope. Don’t use the compressed air gun to make ballon animals with your lungs. Don’t try to blow your six pack into a keg with the compressed air gun.
What about male enhancement or constipation, can we use the compressed air gun for that? We need to know.
So. I think this opens the question of whether we should be setting the compressed air in the shop to a generally safe level? Compressed air is very helpful in tool cleaning as well as personal dust removal. Try lathing for 2 plus hours while roughing a bowl. I’m amazed at the amount of chips, shavings, etc that I collect.
That list of “dangers” is from a site selling their own cleaning booth. The 25 year old OSHA link refers to particles being blown around and being dangerous for inhalation or eyes. Leave your goggles and mask on if your worried about it.
I think the concern is legitimate: I hit skin with a high pressure water sprayer (at the car wash) and injected a water under the skin of my finger. I could see something similar happening with compressed air.
This is an old argument, and the warnings are dire. So you’re covered in nasty rust, or crystals of an unknown chemistry, or just plain dirt, and you want to lose the crud so you don’t get it all over the seats of your car on the way home. What seems better than air blasting all the junk off your clothing and body before your ride home?
Well, experts and paranoids say that accelerating all those tiny metal particles can enable them to possibly penetrate your skin. Micro slivers of metal can enter your bloodstream, causing embolisms or cranial events in the micro channels inside your brain.
Probably better to just wash off what you can from your skin, then let your washing machine clean your clothes. It is a lot lower energy removal system, and fraught with less danger.
Couple of years ago I was grinding something in metalshop. I had a facemask, goggles, gloves and my glasses on. When done I took all the PPE off and was cleaning up. When I used the air gun to blow off the crud, a sliver of metal trapped in my hair ended up in my eye. Had to go to the optometrist and they used a magnet to pull it out. Had to treat the eye with anti-oxidizing and antibiotics drops. Hurt like a MF! Still ended up with a small particle and it rusted out. Had a stupid rust ring in my eye for months.
Interestingly I was on a walk in Apsan Park this week and at one trailhead they had a system installed where people could use compressed air to clean their shoes/boots when leaving.
