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Breathing acid fumes for 15 hours left me sick

 

Hi, I was working at a factory that makes diesel fuel tanks and I was working beside a machine where they run the tanks through acid and I found myself coughing uncontrollably and my nose was burning, I was sneezing and my eyes were burning. I was coughing so bad I would gag. When I told the team leader I couldn't breathe he said it was from the acid. So I walked out and quit the job. I continued to cough all day the following day, now today I woke up and my throat is swollen and and I am coughing up green mucus. Could this be from the fumes I inhaled or is my throat just irritated from all the coughing? What should I do?

Also I was in between 2 welding stations and received the tanks immediately after being welded. Could this have something to do with it?

Kristi Brown
- Muskogee, Oklahmoa, USA
April 10, 2010

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April 12, 2010

Hi, Kristi. It's certainly possible, but anything is possible. When you are sick, you need to go a doctor, because s/he is experienced in diagnosing what is actually wrong with you and the possible severity. People with no medical experience trying to diagnose others over the internet, based solely on soft symptoms (symptoms that are perceived by the ill person rather than measured in any way) isn't safe, and unfortunately it doesn't work. Get to a doctor, and then feel better.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey