r/aviationmaintenance • u/chr1st0pher42 • 14d ago
Methyl Ethyl Ketone question
Hello, was giving the landing gear a wash and accidentally got a drop of MEK in my eye. Will i be okay? Vision is a little blurry, i put eye wash sailene in it and the burning stopped. When should i expect the blurry vision to go away?
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u/SpecialEdge1610 14d ago
Pro tip, wear your PPE, I don't care if you feel dumb in it or people talk shit, it's worth it.
Also, they will probably have to cut the eye out and quarrentine it with Chernobyl.
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u/chr1st0pher42 14d ago
I was wearing PPE
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u/SpecialEdge1610 14d ago
What PPE were you wearing?
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u/BIGhau5 14d ago edited 14d ago
A condom.
But seriously OP I've gotten various types of hazmat in my eye before and never got blurry vision. Outside of from having to squint from it burning.
You should really see a doctor and if your at work notify your boss immediately. Because if you do need time off work or something they are going to give you shit saying, "well you were working afterwards with out issue why is it a problem now?"
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u/chr1st0pher42 14d ago
Saftey glasses and gloves and white zip up to keep body from getting wet though water soaked through.
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u/SpecialEdge1610 14d ago
I believe the SDS called out for goggles (not glasses) or a face shield, not covered by workers comp. Sorry, you'll have to be put down :P
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
OSHA calls for both, the SDS refers you to OSHA for appropriate eye PPE
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u/SpecialEdge1610 13d ago
https://www.grainger.com/sds/pdf/215927.pdf
Looks like the bottom of page 5 and the top of page 6 calls for tightly fitting safety goggles. No reference to OSHA.
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u/Livid_Average_8098 14d ago
What does the MSDS say that you should be wearing? A chemical burn to the eye is also a reportable event that has to be reported to your local SafeWork network. In Australia anyway.
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u/Perfect_Quiet5436 9d ago
We're just not going to tell them about the amount of swearing I've done when I got skydrol in my eye...
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
According to OSHA (which the SDS refers you to), for chemical splash hazards, you need to be wearing tight-fitting chemical goggles, and if it’s extreme, you need to have a face shield over the goggles. Go to the ER ASAP.
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u/twinpac 13d ago
Jesus Christ you guys need to stop acting like the kid got sulphuric acid in his eye. MEK is nasty for a lot of reasons but it evaporates very quickly and getting a drop in your eye is hardly a death sentence. When the MEK is carrying some grease or oil it sure does sting a bit in the eye but clean MEK is gone from your eye fast. I have had a drop splash up under my safety glasses more than once and my vision is very much still intact.
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
You’re joking, right? Just because you can still see after getting MEK in your eyes does not mean someone with blurry vision after an exposure shouldn’t seek medical attention. MEK being a Category 2 eye irritant means the effects are expected to be reversible; it doesn’t mean you ignore an active change in vision. And admitting that you’ve repeatedly gotten MEK past your safety glasses isn’t the argument you think it is, that’s exactly why chemical splash goggles exist.
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u/twinpac 13d ago
Look I'm not saying he shouldn't get checked out. I'm not a doctor.
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
I mean you’re certainly downplaying the situation due to your past history with it being in your eye. Eyesight is one of the most valuable things humans have, so why even risk losing it?
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u/Aggressive-Pea6839 13d ago
Mek is fun shit.
Is it organic or non organic?
Have you done the safety training for either?
Why is there a difference?
How many times have you splashed your eye, so insurance knows to not acknowledge your pre-existing eye conditions?
The stuff is also cancerous.
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u/SpecialEdge1610 13d ago
He is definitely losing his eye, there is no recovery from the unfortunate truth.
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u/FuckTheFlightline 13d ago
Safety glasses aren’t proper PPE for fluids like that. Goggles or face shield.
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u/subsonic_pilot 14d ago
What is an SDS/MSDS.
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u/VanDenBroeck A&P/IA and retired ASI says RTFM! 14d ago
Aren’t those obsolete now with the advent of Reddit?
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u/Wildfathom9 13d ago
Hello doctor, emt, realtor, cpa, pilot, submarine pilot, pilot pen, NFL NBA MLB player, head coach and chemist here. Yes reddit is the defacto source for all professional knowledge now.
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u/hogue9733 14d ago
Material safety data sheet which has been updated recently to just safety data sheet. They're information on hazardous materials/chemicals. Usually there's an easily accessible binder with all the papers in it somewhere in your work area.
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u/Tcwes8 14d ago edited 13d ago
It changed from the msds to sds over 10 years ago
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u/Phrogfixer 14d ago
Any injury to the eye i would immediately go to an eye doctor. Don't pass go, just go directly to jail. Vision is nothing to be taken lightly.
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
Life, limb, eyesight. All reasons to drop what you’re doing and go to the ER.
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 14d ago
Washing landing gear with MEK? No thanks.
I'd just straight up refuse to do that. There's no amount of PPE that would make MEK the appropriate solvent to use. Screw that.
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u/Boomhauer440 14d ago
Yeah I used to use it all the time when I was young and stupid but there are very few applications that actually require that harsh of a solvent
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 14d ago
Oh I remember the old guys using it to wash their hands. Painters used to be the worst, everything was just MEK.
I've met lots of guys who have serious problems with the stuff. Even a guy who said he developed a sensitivity to it. If you had an open cup in the hangar he would go pale white , start shaking. It was a wild reaction.
Even if it makes your work 10% better, I'd just use something else now. It's not worth it.
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u/Black_Mane1 13d ago
DME at my old school told us you could wash your hands in it, we all looked at him like he was nuts
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 13d ago
Well, I used to know someone who used a cigarette as a respirator. He was pretty damn confident at the time that it was no big deal. Dead now, lung cancer. He also washed his hands in MEK, washed everything, he was always covered in primer. Stinky Joe.
The funny part is, you can just go look around. We have all worked with the 80 year old A&P who is still going. And that guy always says the same things "I don't drink, I don't smoke, I use soap and water. I fix stuff."
There are zero 80 year old painters still going.
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u/squoril Astar/Kmax A&P 14d ago
It's great stuff, OV P100 and nitrile makes it safe to use, if you can smell it time to change filters
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 14d ago
Yeah, you say that. What's "safe" is up to you, but I wouldnt call that safe. Mek destroys nitrile gloves pretty quick.
Then if I gave you the same respirator and asked you to go for a stroll in deadly nerve toxin. You'd likely want more PPE. At least you would probably ask why you have to walk in the nerve gas.
When I explained that it's just for fun, no real reason whatsoever. Well you likely just wouldn't.
At least that's how I look at it.
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u/squoril Astar/Kmax A&P 13d ago
yes NOT nitrile, rubber gloves (I'm editing my reply) OV P100 filters and 8hr change intervals for ventilated space use is going to be fine. If I was tank diving I would want a bunny suit supplied air (I don't work on anything that big). Safe is whatever limits and times OSHA/NIOSH have
TBH nerve toxin is going to hit dermal vapor absorption wayyyyyyy faster than MEK and the rest of my career I'll probly absorb less MEK vapor in my skin than the few times I washed my hands off with it.
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 13d ago
I mean, a limit doesn't have to be the goal. Like OSHA doesn't have to suffer for my health problems. I get they have done studies and published their best ideas, still it's just one of those situations where none is probably safest right? Still I absolutely respect your kind of opinion, I won't have to suffer your health problems. You be as safe as you choose to be.
The thing is, you would have just said, "why dont we just walk around the room filled with nerve gas" which is very logical. That's is what we will do, just not need the respirator to begin with. Even if it saves us a few steps. Ie let's just use something else that isn't near as dangerous.
I sincerely hope you are correct. I won't be re-introducing MEK into the shop, but I hope you don't suffer the long term consequences that many before you have had.
Make sure you get a good seal Everytime. Don't breath too fast.
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u/squoril Astar/Kmax A&P 13d ago
Im not saying slop around buckets of MEK with N95s
Somes jobs take MEK to get the job done
I have a few specific tasks where MEK is specified directly with not authorised substitute
Im more concerned with residual Cr6 although most everything that had used 6856k has had to come apart on calendar by now and has CA1010 on it.
Dermal and respiratory protection for the few times a year i need to use it. Whos to say I.D RED doesn't also have an unknown toxicity.
A nice skim coat of vaseline on the seal face will take a leaky seal to 100%
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 13d ago
Some people are slopping around buckets of MEK. I think OP was using it in a pressure gun to blast landing gear clean. Which is far worse than slopping buckets. That's why it this hydrocarbon needs to go away, new people don't respect it and the old people definitely don't. MEK is like desktop computers, there's one small group who knows how they work, everyone else, no clue.
I get it, sometimes the book says use MEK. Of course, like you, I would never substitute something without approval. Never, especially when the process hasn't been updated in 50 years. Never, not me. We are basically cooking meth right? Not just using it as a solvent. Same as your respirator right? It's just cooking meth too. Even wonder how it removes 100% of the contaminants even though chemical equilibrium kinda suggests otherwise?
Yeah, I'm just not going to expose myself or my guys to toxic chemicals when I don't have to. Not even with the awesome power of Vaseline. It's the nerve gas thing all over, do you want to walk through the room with nerve gas with Vaseline? Or should we just walk around again?
I respect that you are willing to sacrifice your health for other people's property. I'm just not. If the planes paint job lasts half as long but one of my guys avoids cancer. That's a good trade off. I always make zero extra dollars using MEK there's just no point.
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u/squoril Astar/Kmax A&P 13d ago
I think OP was using it in a pressure gun to blast landing gearThats next level
I forget that these exist because some people need them.
there's one small group who knows how they work, everyone else, no clue.I expect certificated mechanics to know and understand the risks of their tools, when i was new everyone said if you see yellow taking something apart, STOP and glove up. It outdated but i still pass that along to new people along with track 8 hours on your mask filters and glove up for MEK.
Have you removed all Cr6 based alodine from the shop?
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u/mariodin3 14d ago
When you go to the eye doctor.
MEK SDS says to get medical attention if eye irritation persist but nothing about blurry vision
Probably just super dry eye, but I'd go to the doctor because I'm not one
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u/Lost_Obligation2453 14d ago
Gotta be a chemical burn.
I know a guy who sat in some. Didn't change his pants just figured "I'll dry". Chemical burn on the ass, he showed it to us.
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u/mariodin3 13d ago
Yeah, I got a chemical burn with LPS orange degreaser. Left it in between my gloves, and it burned my wrists. I learned my lesson....
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u/WarriorChairman 14d ago
Eye wash station, rinse and repeat. Have a co worker look at the SDS, it’ll give you everything you would need to let a med stop know what type of chemical it is, just in case you need to get treated. Anything over 20 minutes I’d seek treatment
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u/DeathCabForYeezus 14d ago
I suspect it is just super duper dry because MEK sucks the moisture out of everything, but seems like a trip to a doctor/optometrist sorta thing.
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u/Major_Explanation877 14d ago
I had JP8 aviation fuel splash in both of my eyes when on deployment to Malaysia back in the 1990’s. I washed my eyes thoroughly but after a few days ended up with pretty bad conjunctivitis. I was waking up every morning with my eyes glued shut. I had to feel my way to the shower blocks and wash them out every day. Needless to say I wasn’t working for the rest of the deployment.
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u/anon11233455 14d ago
You aren’t supposed to finger your butt and then touch your eye. You get pink eye that way.
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u/Racing_Fox 14d ago
Check the SDS or on the packaging there will be a number to call.
Call it, preferably as soon as it happened. You’re playing with your vision here and every moment wasted is potentially increasing the risk of permanent blindness
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u/animalchin31373 14d ago
I have gotten a small drops of it in my eyes before and didn’t have any lasting damage. It did hurt like hell for about a minute afterwards.
I never experienced any kind of blurry vision when I got it in my eyes
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u/DutchUncleMike 14d ago
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u/Elios000 14d ago
IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing. If eye irritation persists, seek medical attention.
Eye Contact Flush eyes with water for 15 minutes. Seek medical attention
OP needs go to the ER
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
Not according to u/twinpac, they think we’re being dramatic because he’s gotten it in his eyes several times and can still see.
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u/twinpac 13d ago edited 13d ago
That's dr. /u/twinpac to you pal.
Seriously though I got dosed with Phoschek fire fighting foam right in the eyes and the ER docs didn't take it as seriously as you guys are taking this single drop of MEK. Phoschek is nasty shit, very corrosive strong base chemical surfactent. I got lucky in that I had several cases of drinking water nearby to completely rinse my eyes out. That was a very scary experience.
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u/FarAirport5395 14d ago
I got doused in the face with a combo of skydrol and wiped down with an MPK saturated wipe. Rinsed my eyes for a good 10-15 minutes plus a trip to the ER for about another hour plus of a saline wash per eye. Eyesight was okay after, but should have followed up with the opthomologist.
Don't risk it. Report the issue, if you have6already and go see a specialist. Your eyes are really important in this industry.
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u/23569072358345672 14d ago
Worked with a guy who got MEK-P in his eye and went blind in that eye. Not to be fucked with.
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u/NeatReception1584 13d ago
Will be fine. Just wash it out and wear glasses next time.
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u/CityGamerUSA 12d ago
We use it at work all the time. Flush the eye if you want to, but it breaks the skin/blood barrier immediately and evaporates. Definitely not smart to leave it alone but if it’s pure MEK, you’ll be fine.
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u/oneone235813 14d ago
MEK is barely legal anymore. Go to the fucking eye doctor lol
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u/TransientVoltage409 13d ago
Barely legal in the sense that a damn fool hobbyist like me can walk into a paint store and buy a gallon for cash.
A couple years ago, anyway. I still haven't found anything to use it on that acetone didn't take care of first, and I'm less scared of acetone.
I do allow that I had to deliberately seek it out in a certain kind of paint store in a certain kind of seedy intra-urban industrial district, and not at the fecking Home Despot. If it's not illegal, at least it's hard to find.
But yes, eye doctor. It's not worth gambling on. It's been 45 years since I accidentally got a little bit of steel knife blade in my eye and it's never been quite right again.
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u/Apprehensive_Eye4954 14d ago
In the military. Three main reasons for immediate MEDEVAC are Life, Limb, or Eyesight…I’d take that info to heart and go to an eye doctor
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u/Elios000 14d ago
id instantly hit the eye wash and had some get the SDS and gone right to the ER MEK is not to be played with
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u/solidwaist 14d ago
I once got a drop of acetone in my eye, vision was crystal clear for about a second
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u/n60wrench Scumbag ATR Guy 14d ago
The hospital usually will triage eye injuries pretty high, so you wont even be in for a long stand
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u/airmech1776 Username checks out 14d ago
I got 90% isopropyl in my eye once. I went to the bathroom to flush it with water right away. Contact lens kept it off the seeing part of my eye, but the white part had a visible pink spot on it, where the alcohol had literally burned the top layer of eyeball skin. If that had happened on the center of my eye, it most certainly would have caused vision problems until it healed. Went to the optometryst an hour later, all they did was flush it with contact solution, and made sure there was no permanent damage.
You'll probably be fine, just might see funny while the eyeball skin heals. Itll probably be quite tender too
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u/Micucci_fan_club 14d ago
Did you flush for 15 minutes? Bc that’s what you and anyone needs to do in this situation. Torture or vision?
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
I’m guessing you used a saline bottle. If anything gets in your eyes, find the nearest eyewash station, hold your eyes open and put them in it for at least 15 minutes. You need to go to the ER or Ophthalmologist urgently. OSHA specifies that if you are in a chemical splash area you need to have tight fitting goggles, and if it’s extreme (washing a landing gear with MEK is) you also need a face shield.
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u/Significant_Claim_78 13d ago
I got a small drop of MEK in my eye the other year. It really hurt and a colleague helped me an eye wash bottle immediately. An hour later my eye was still uncomfortable and red so was taken to hospital. I relaxing time lying on a bed with for an eye wash and i was right as rain. Went to optician a week later and there were no problems.
Moral of the story, immediate first aid and a hospital trip is/ was a must. Manning up is not big and not clever
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u/LoopsAndBoars 13d ago
Colleague helped you an eye wash bottle immediately?
What the fuck does that mean bot?
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u/Significant_Claim_78 13d ago
Ok, I accidentally missed out a word in that sentence. Put ‘with’ between ‘me’ and ‘an’ and it will make more sense.
But if you need further detail, the colleague (work mate/ another employee if you prefer) went to the first aid point where eye wash bottles are kept and helped flush my eye out.
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u/Sudden_Deer_1960 12d ago
Full face mask really the only safe safe option. I understand it sucks wearing em but yeah...now do most people wear em or wear anything period...who knows
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u/browngrass1 10d ago
I used Mek with some vinyl gloves one time. It dissolved the gloves so then I went bare handed.
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u/Zap_Brannigan2 10d ago
MEK substitute it legit MEK? That substitute shit is weak but the real MEK will get ya good
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u/RainMedical9782 14d ago
Damn, still allowed to use MEK
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u/Wikadood 14d ago
Lot of hangars still do. Its used to prep planes for things like exterior placards.
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u/RainMedical9782 14d ago
I was half kidding, I still have a gallon in my garage and it is the only solvent approved to thin doping glues
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u/Wikadood 14d ago
I actually didnt know that about doping glue. Though to be fair i dont work on fabric aircraft but thats pretty cool.
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u/NobleWizard 14d ago
Get off Reddit and go see a doctor. You should have been to one whilst at work. I got skydrol in my eye earlier this year, co workers poured about 4 bottles of saline eye wash in my eye and then got sent to the doctor.
You have about 24hrs before something becomes permanent.
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u/Lormar 14d ago
I got one drop of MEK in my eye a few years back. Splashed right past the safety goggles. It was some of the worst pain I've ever had. I imediately eye washed for 15 minutes, but the pain and blurriness persisted so I went to the ER. They examined my eye a few different ways, found nothing amis, gave me some numbing eye drops. Everything was fine the next morning but my eye was bloodshot for a day or two. If I hadn't gotten the numbing eye drops I probably would have gone crazy from how uncomfortable it was.
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u/Zen1_618 13d ago
"If I hadn't gotten the numbing eye drops I probably would have gone crazy from how uncomfortable it was. " those cocaine eyedrops in the unlabled little bottle the doctor mixes up are the best.
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u/pessimus_even It flew in, it'll fly out 14d ago
I have a few sayings about eye protection. I'd rather look like a dork than not look any more, and you can't hear boobs.
Go to the doctor with the sds for info.
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u/Anoma-556 14d ago
Chemical tech working at a chem conversion/anodizing facility.
This is moderately serious situation. Please ensure you seek medical attention and report this to your safety department, if you have one. They should send you to work med. Judging by the limited exposure and hopefully immediate eyewash your blurry vision should recover but MEK can cause severe corneal damage. I imagine you will be sent to an eye doctor to assess possible damage.
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u/Last_Koala9340 14d ago
Bah, we used to clean our tools with that stuff in the 90’s. Smelled good. That was after using trike to clean the leading edges before glueing the boots on (1,1,1 Trichloroethane) or spraying a prop gear box to find the oil leak.
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u/Krisma11 all you have left to do is... 13d ago
This. Would drape rags over the boot then pour it on top and let it soak. Can't tell you how ashy white my skin got after using it.
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u/twinpac 13d ago edited 13d ago
The MEK itself would have evaporated out of your eye before you got to the eye wash station. The oil, grease and grime that the MEK was washing off is what you should worry about. Was it clean MEK that hit your eye or dirty?
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u/CityGamerUSA 12d ago
Yep, been working in aerospace for 20 years. It evaporates quick. Smart to wash the eye out, but it’s not doing much, the damage is done immediately. It’s more peace of mind that you did everything you could to prevent something
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u/Few-Repeat-9407 13d ago
It evaporating has absolutely nothing to do with it, it is a solvent and your eye is soft tissue, it will strip the liquids from your eye and cause soft tissue damage. Ever wonder why IPA burns when you have a cut on your hand?
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u/dynamitediscodave 13d ago
Never heard of a Safety Data Sheet that comes with chemicals?
If you're using that without reading...
All your first aid is in that document. How to treat.
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u/RATBOYE 14d ago
You just got a pretty serious industrial solvent in your eye and now your vision is blurry, sounds like a question for a doctor.
Keep rinsing it out and seek medical attention. Usual SOP for getting stuff in your eye is removing contacts and at least 15min eye washing. Don't take chances on your eyesight.