Which fumes do you think are worse for us, the fumes from leaded race gas, methanol or ethanol E85???

Good question.
Gut instinct tells me leaded gasoline, but that Methanol and E-85 stuff sure irritates me more.

I can't get take a lot of race gas after breathing in too much of it in the early 90s during some testing.
The symptoms mimicked monoxide poisoning in addition to arthritic pain.
Once I realized where it was coming from it took a year to shake it off. So, I hold race gas at arm's length or more.

On the other hand Alcohol and nitro...no problem. Go figure.

Methanol fumes don't bother people as bad because you can't stay in them long enough. LOL It's like going through the tear gas building in the military.

When I first switched the s10 over to alcohol the fumes were so bad I couldn't wait to get the door open at the end of the track. The headers are right under the floor and the fumes came right in the cab. I welded some 90s on the end of the collectors aimed down and that helped a bunch

I forgot about that, in my door car I quit running in 2004 the alcohol fumes were terrible in that car until I put mufflers on it and ran them out in front of rear tires.

In my altereds and front engine dragster rarely ever had problem.

From what I've read burning methanol creates formic acid and formaldehyde.
one thing I notice when burning methanol instead of gas my clothes don't smell like fumes as much. If I burn gas the exhaust fumes tend to cling to clothes. I don't get methanol fumes in the car much, only on the return road if I do get them. I did seal up any seams trying to keep fumes out.

Q16

Contains : Isopentane; Tetraethyllead; 2,2,4-trimethylpentane; Paraffins (petroleum), normal C5-20;
Tert-butyl methyl ether
Hazard statements (GB CLP) : H225 - Highly flammable liquid and vapour.
H302 - Harmful if swallowed.
H304 - May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways.
H315 - Causes skin irritation.
H336 - May cause drowsiness or dizziness.
H371 - May cause damage to organs.
H410 - Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
Precautionary statements (GB CLP) : P210 - Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources.
No smoking.
P261 - Avoid breathing vapours.
P280 - Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection, face protection.
P301+P310 - IF SWALLOWED: Immediately call a POISON CENTER, a doctor.
P331 - Do NOT induce vomiting.
P330 - Rinse mouth.
P302+P352 - IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of soap and water.
P304+P340 - IF INHALED: Remove person to fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing.
P308+P311 - IF exposed or concerned: Call a POISON CENTER, doctor.

quote:

Originally posted by CURTIS REED:
Methanol fumes don't bother people as bad because you can't stay in them long enough. LOL It's like going through the tear gas building in the military.

Now that is funny, Curtis. Anyone who has been there will understand.
I gotta say E85 exhaust is some downright smelly stuff. And it would seem to me that the Lead content in race gas would almost have to make it the worst, as far as possible health effects due to long term exposure.
When I first changed to alky the fumes were bad enough that I spent more than half a day sealing up every possible place I could find to keep the exhaust out of the car. Trunk, floor pan, door seals, firewall, etc. After that I never even smell it at all unless I have a tail wind when I roll down the driver window on the return road.

Something about the stink of the E-85 I really do not like. Alcohol is not too bad, Nitro is like tear gas and will burn your nose and water your eyes real quickly. Used to get a kick out of people at National events pack it around the trailer when John Force and them warm up motor and then watch them retreat when the fumes hit them.

X100 of what TD3550 posted that is nasty stuff, we run Renegade K-13 is smells nasty in the drum but can't smell it out the exhaust?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: HR3377,

One thing that makes the Alky burners bad is the lean out time...lean misfire is what makes the fumes really bad to tolerate, regardless of type of fuel.
Hot, excited hydrocarbons that didn't finish really burns the eyes and sinuses.

Q16

quote:

Originally posted by Curly1:
Something about the stink of the E-85 I really do not like. Alcohol is not too bad, Nitro is like tear gas and will burn your nose and water your eyes real quickly. Used to get a kick out of people at National events pack it around the trailer when John Force and them warm up motor and then watch them retreat when the fumes hit them.

Nitromethane was used as a chemical weapon in WW1.

methanol fumes never bothered me much, grew up around it with go-karts sprints and everything else running on it. I had somewhat of a side business mowing the entire neighborhood's yards with a toro 3hp 19" push mower that never did run right. I mistakenly dumped some methanol into the tank one day and it immediately started running normally...so it ran on meth until the day I quit mowing, several years, about 5 gallons of methanol a week but it was like $0.40/gal back then.

Nitro fumes can get rough.

E85 fumes reek. I don't like being around it.

E98 fumes are, interesting. Don't care for it either.

I try to avoid most fumes. Diesel (modern diesels that smell sorta like ammonia) fumes in a pit area with no wind, will often make me sick, nauseated. Memphis got me in, I think 09. All the transporters and generators running, started puking before I even got to the pit area. Drove 3 hours to go watch the races, started throwing up, got right back in the truck and drove 3 hours back home. It was miserable...including the heat and humidity.

But methanol fumes at IDLE, in an enclosed area, will KILL you and it sneaks up on you. I've had mine running in the shop, even for 30 seconds or so, no major issues. Start burning a little and next thing I know I'm running outside and cannot breathe. Literally cannot breathe. Something about it, it like paralyzes your diaphragm or something. I gagged and wheezed and forced myself to try to breathe and stay calm while holding the phone in my hand ready to call 9-1-1. It was very, very close to passing out. No headache or nausea, just started to burn the nose for a few seconds and before I could get out of the shop I couldn't breathe no more.

When I was 8 or 9 (I don't remember?) I was floating around behind dad's boat in a raft. Always loved the water. Next thing I remember was waking up with a bunch of people around me. Carbon monoxide. Dad's boat was running at idle and I guess the fumes were just building up, maybe no wind I don't remember. My mom tells the story too often that when they got to the hospital with my lifeless body, they said that the chance of my coming back, or without brain damage was about 5%. Well obviously it wasn't zero % because I'm still here. Point being, y'all be real careful running your vehicles in an enclosed are because CO is a gas that you don't know exists until it's too late. "I can handle a little"....until you can't and the headache is a but few seconds shy of passing out.