Rob,
I have found it useful to search the web for creditable, authoritative sources for questions like this. Wikipedia may not always fit those criteria, but it's a starting point:
<
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone >
Here's one with a bit more depth, a link to a document from the US CDC, "Toxicological Profile for Acetone" (276 pages!):
<
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp21.pdf >
Quoting paragraph 2.2.1.8 Cancer:
"In a retrospective mortality study of 948 employees (697 men, 251 women) of a cellulose fiber plant where acetone was used as the only solvent, no significant excess risk of death from any cause, including malignant neoplasm, was found when compared with rates for the U.S. general population (Ott et al. 1983a, 1983b). The workers had been employed at the plant for at least 3 months to 23 years. Industrial hygiene surveys found that median time-weighted-average acetone concentrations were 380, 770, and 1,070 ppm, based on job categories."
Hope that helps,
John, KU4AF
Pittsboro, NC
On Feb 2, 2017, at 1:26 PM, Rob roomberg@... [Homebrew_PCBs] wrote:
> I was told by a 70 year old chemistry teacher that I should avoid using ACETONE because ACETONE is definitely a bad ass carcinogen.
>
> any ideas here?
>
> I always wear nitril gloves and run a low speed fan over the work for air flow when I do kitchen etching.