Powered graphite causes cancer?!?

It is probably an inhalation (i.e., lung cancer) risk due to being powdered. If not, a lot of us who used to play with #2 pencils as kids are in big trouble.

OTOH, if you happen to be a white lab rat living in CA, you might wish to pay special attention to the warning ...

Maybe their saying that everytime you need to use some you'll need to call a Hazmat team.

joe

I've been using a #2 pencil on my guitar bridge and nut. I've seen the shaving drop around to places. Yet it's something I don't think we should worry about too much. I don't. There are too many other things out there that'll hurt you much more in the long run....

It seems like EVERYTHING these days gives ya cancer. IMHO I think that it is mostly people being paranoid, and big companies over protecting themselves from law suits.

So, I zipped off and scanned a few papers on the subject...

As I suspected, and Corbind suggested, the risk of graphite is primarily through inhallation. In fact this is much like the risk associated with the inhallation of any mineral fibre, like talcum powder and asbestos (though the damage from asbestos is probably aggravated by the needle-like shape of the particles). And the risk from graphite powder is probably no greater than the risk caused by other forms of carbon, like charcoal powder and diesel smoke, which are believed to increase the risk of cancer and asthma.
It is thought that the carbon that is inhaled while smoking is part of the cancer-causing damage of that particular activity.
The risk is probably not great, but is probably real, but in proportion to your exposure. If you worked in a graphite factory, you should wear a respirator. The rest of us should simply minimize our exposure to all of these compounds.
You can reduce your exposure by using only as much powder as remains adhered to the guitar, by avoiding causing a cloud of the powder in the air, and applying the powder in a ventilated area (keep your face away when you use it). Just the kind of precautions you should use for any kind of dust-like material, really.
I wouldn't worry about the exposure we are getting from this, though. You are probably exposed to a lot more carbon powder from other sources.
I use "white graphite", which is essentially graphite suspended in a silicone-like material. It seems to work well and has no associated dust, so probably no risk.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, just a lowly biologist/guitarplayer.

Well I put this to the test...I put some powdered graphite in the type and immersed my guitar in it, now the doctors say it has testicular cancer; it is completely bed-ridden and in order to survive its nut must be removed.
TARRABOOMTISH
Ahem. :oops:

Scientists reported that saccharine causes cancer. Analysis of the results showed that, recalculating the amount given to rats for humans, it would require an intake of 1500 tablets a day over an extended period of time to cause cancer.

So if you drink 300 cups of very sweet coffee every day, you're likely to become a hyper-active cancer patient.
Otherwise............................

I've been playing for so long and have so many guitar's I've lost count, I have never used anything of the sort on them and probably never will. Must be from spending so much time playing they get broke in.

joe

Whenever I apply graphite, I light up a good cuban cigar. The rising heat from the burning cigar tends to divert the potentially hazardous airborne graphite powder.

Slothrob, that was a great piece. Nice research.

Still, why don't we skip the whole powder graphite thing all together and use a mechanical pencil? It produces very little dust and the stuff that does falls to the floor for the vacuum to get later. The only rebuttal I can conjure is that (possibly) pencils shavings don't work as well as graphite.

:?:

With the special effects and colored lights, the only thing I smell is what their smokin in the first few rows.

Joe

recalculating the amount given to rats for humans, it would require an intake of 1500 tablets a day over an extended period of time to cause cancer.quote]
I've heard this argument before, and it has a certain validity, especially in the case of sacharine which is a weak carcinogen. Unfortunately, large doses must be given to rodents over a short time to simulate the effect on humans over a lifetime. Rodents only live a few years and the studies usually last even less time, while we're looking for an effect on a 50 year old human. In addition, the dose/weight part of the calculation required to get to that 1500 is not necessarily pertinant as you only have to cause cancer in a small number of cells in either animal to result in disease. Therefore, if 5 tablets/day for a rat caused disease (a quick calculation based on the weight of a rat and a full grown man), that might be more equivalent to 5 tablets a day for a human than 1500.
(Actually, this is complicated because the rat was probably a poor model for the sacharine study for other reasons.)

Can we do a study on hops/water/barley? I'll be first in line

Can we do a study on hops/water/barley? I'll be first in line

Your to late. I already started. If you want, the next time I go get one....I'll get one for you. :D