Fingerprints on Proof Coins, and How I avoid them on mine..without cotton gloves

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nail polish remover is NOT pure acetone

 

There is an old Latin phrase known to old toxicologists: sola dosis facit venenum (only the dose makes the poison). We know that's not always true. There are no safe levels of some carcinogens and some engineered nucleic acids and proteins; one molecule might kill you. But it's pretty much true, and it is true of acetone toxicity. After all, your body makes it continually from fat, usually in tiny amounts, and it's excreted in your breath, feces and urine. You'll make more of it if you haven't eaten for a while or in some disease states.

Nail polish remover isn't pure acetone, but you can certainly smell acetone in it. It's intended for short exposure, and the main area to which it's applied, the nails, absorb very little of it. Painters have a higher incidence of lung cancer and other pulmonary problems than the general population. Lots of epidemiological studies. For example: Lung Cancer Risk in Painters: A Meta-Analysis by Guha et al. in Environmental Health Perspectives 2010 Mar; 118(3): 303–312. How many of their lung problems are attributable to acetone is hard to say. I'd guess sanding dust, paint thinner and toluene are worse offenders.

The safe thing to do is minimize your exposure to acetone to avoid toxicity, but it's not much of a risk if used properly. Beyond that, remember it and its vapor are very flammable. Even it were totally nontoxic, that would be scant comfort if your house burns down with you in it.

Cal

 

Using small amounts acetone occasionally isn't going to hurt you. However, you do need to be aware of the safety issues and how to dispose of it, as @calcol points out.

I agree with Doug that working with acetone isn’t a big problem, but strongly disagree with his comments that it’s safe to use. It’s safe for some of us with experience, but could be a big problem for someone who has no experience with chemicals. In some ways, it’s like using a firearm. A knowledgeable, experienced owner always treats every weapon like it’s loaded, stores it responsibly, etc. When you’re explaining safety to someone new to firearms, do you just say “Hey, I use this all the time and haven’t had any problems” and let them run off unsupervised, or do you make sure they understand that it’s safe if you follow the safety rules and it can be very dangerous if they don’t know what you’re are doing?

Working with chemicals is similar. Listening to people preaching about the potential hazards of something that you know has a low risk because you’re knowledgeable and experienced, can seem like overkill, but remember, not everyone has experience.

Hopefully, some of this info can help someone interested in using acetone to remove PVC residue and other organic materials do it safely and gave them a venue to ask questions so they don’t make mistakes