ran my first Dicharge print job, I think I may have inhaled too much.

[im_mcguire]

Ok. So recently we just ran a 6,200 qty run of shirts. It was a discharge white (rutland Discharge white plus, and 1 spot color). I have a American forced air dryer, and we were off and running. Getting about 1,000 shirts done a day. I am a small shop and I had 2 people helping me. We all wound up getting sore throats and feeling nauseous from the fumes. I have the outlet of air going out of the shop, but it was still potent in the shop. I am now 3 days after the job has finished, with a sore throat and a mild cough.

My question is this. Could I have done something wrong? Or is this just the nature of discharge printing? If so I honestly think I am out. We all wore masks and were well ventilated with roll up doors and 3 industrial fans in the shop.

Just curious what other people's experiences are with long runs and discharge are?

Any help would be appreciated.

Also we used Image Tech discharge agent @ 6% and a Rutland Penetrant @ 5%

[zanegun08]

This is not the nature of discharge printing.

I'd say that if you had fans, wore masks, had the doors open, and all got sick, it is unrelated to discharge printing and possible something else going on. 

Allergies, maybe you were blowing dust which caused sore throats, ect.  It could also be a placebo effect of just thinking about it.

But if you took all those precautions there is definitely something else going on there.

[im_mcguire]

That is what I thought. There was a really bad smell through out the shop for the few days we were printing. Maybe it was a combination of us being sensitive to a new smell in the shop, and fans blowing dust around, and allergies. I guess I'm just being overly sensitive and may need to get use to the new discharge smell. I just want to make sure I just wasn't doing anything wrong, and figured I'd ask some seasoned vets.

[Rockers]

You know the filter of the mask does only work for a few days max. We have the same problem. Make sure you wear a mask as well when you add the activator to the ink. That`s when you release lots of formaldehyde into the air.

[jsheridan]

Discharge fumes are no joke and yes they were the cause of your current ailment.

Proper venting is very important for discharge work so make sure for the next run that you supply enough ventilation to the shop and your dryer.
An in-line fan in your exhaust will also help draw the fumes out of the dryer quicker.

[Frog]

Hell, these fumes have kept more than one printer away from this stuff over the years. Not an insurmountable obstacle, but a stinky one! 

[brandon]

Is that exhaust running straight up and out? I have noticed in shops that have a lot of convoluted exhaust piping it never seems to work properly. Just straight up is the way to go if your shop layout permits it.

[im_mcguire]

Is that exhaust running straight up and out? I have noticed in shops that have a lot of convoluted exhaust piping it never seems to work properly. Just straight up is the way to go if your shop layout permits it.

Actually the hose was running about 10 feet along the wall then 5 feet around the door. We just haven't ran the hose up and out yet. We did have a fan blowing outside to try and keep the fumes from blowing back in. Ultimately, I think this was one of the major issues.

[brandon]

Is that exhaust running straight up and out? I have noticed in shops that have a lot of convoluted exhaust piping it never seems to work properly. Just straight up is the way to go if your shop layout permits it.

Actually the hose was running about 10 feet along the wall then 5 feet around the door. We just haven't ran the hose up and out yet. We did have a fan blowing outside to try and keep the fumes from blowing back in. Ultimately, I think this was one of the major issues.

Yes, it has a lot to do with it. The sooner you get that straight up and out the better for you. And also the dryer. Less work for it to push that stuff out

[UnderPressureSP]

That has never happen to us.  We have a 8 feet in 8 feet heat and 8 feet out with gas.  When we discharge we run the dryer supper slow to make sure that the ink is fully cured otherwise those fumes will discharge on the dryer take off end.  We also add 4% or less activator for our inks which seems to help.   I would try the CCI d-white it smells like coconuts out of the buck vs some discharge that we have used in the past that smell like dental glue.     

[jsheridan]

That has never happen to us. 

Your dryer is properly vented, theirs was not

[IntegrityShirts]

If you can smell it heavily in the air in your shop, then you need to stop printing and fix the issue. No reason to risk health for a pile of cotton or cash.

[mimosatexas]

I have never had this issue either, but my dryer is close to my overhead door, which I leave open when printing DC.