# Sanitizing & Your Lungs



## Lenore (May 6, 2008)

Hi to all,
I have a question about sanitizing. I use a sulfur solution. I usually clean my equipment when I am done and leave some sanitizer locked in there so I don't have to re-clean the big items when I need them. That sulfur is so potent and harsh on the lungs. This has led me to some questions:


How do you protect your lungs?
Is there a better/safer way?
Where do you dispose of the solutions?
Is it OK for a septic system?


I figure since this will be my lifelong hobby I should be sure I am not doing anything to harm myself or my environment. I appreciate your replies!!


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## PeterZ (May 6, 2008)

Lenore,


How do you protect your lungs?


I just work in a well ventilated room. SO2 is an acute, rather than chronic agent. What that means is that it does not accumulate in your system, so once you are back in fresh air you are back to normal.


Is there a better/safer way?


You could get a gas mask specific for reducing agents, but I think that is overkill.

Where do you dispose of the solutions?


Down the drain. When combined with oxygen, the reduced sulfur becomes a mineral, sulfate (SO4) that occurs naturally in most water sources. There is lots of O2 in tap water.


Is it OK for a septic system?


Yes, in reasonable quantities. I am not an expert (or even very familiar) with septic systems. There are two ways waste is broken down, aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen). I think septic systems are aerobic, because anaerobic digestion releases methane, and nobody worrys about their septic system exploding. You will not be putting enough SO2 into a septic system to take it from aerobic to anaerobic (you would have to dump a 50 lb bag to have a noticable effect).


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## kaluba (Oct 5, 2008)

Go head peterz!!! woooooow


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## AAASTINKIE (Oct 8, 2008)

I wear a gas mask when sanitizing my bottles, normally have it off for cleaning equiptment, throw my used solution off the deck, don't want it in my septic system. I found when I did a lot of bottles my lungs hurt that night, can't be good for you.


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## Rocky_Top (Oct 8, 2008)

I have a septic tank. Your septic system is a liveing organ that can be harmed by the bleach in your laundry. I herd tell




, that if you run your washing machine line out into the woods that it really helps you septic system. (and weeds love it!!) I never dump any sanitizer down the drain.The SO2 is also bad on rubber and metal.


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## termini (Nov 23, 2008)

I kinda agree with Rocky Top, however, I also have a septic, and even though my septic guy said that noyhing should go into your septic without first going "through" you, he said that the laundry bleach and the bleach tablets some people put in the toilet tanks dont really affect the large amount of the 1200 gallons of bacteria in my system.----although my father -in- law does run his laundry hose out to the woods to save on his older system.......( on a side note, he also said to change over to liquid soap instead of powdered)


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## dfwwino (Nov 23, 2008)

I have asthma and am highly sensitive to sulfites. My breathing shuts down with the smallest whiff, even when a wine is just oversulfited. Rather than use sulfites to sanitize like most winemakers, I use Iodophor (used in the dairy industry and by homebrewers for beermaking). While Iodophor stains your plastic lightbrown, it is highly effective and does not cause similar reactions.


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## mjdtexan (Feb 23, 2009)

Rocky Top said:


> . I herd tell
> 
> 
> 
> , that if you run your washing machine line out into the woods that it really helps you septic system. (and weeds love it!!)




I to have a septic system (two really) and I to heard tell



that it is good to run the ole washer and kitchen sink</font> out into the woods. For some reason the weeds in my neck of the woods love a certain spot too.


Thanks for the heads up on the sanitizer. I hadnt even thunk of it.


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## Rocky_Top (Feb 23, 2009)

Kitchen sink ???? Oh!!



Boy do I feel stupid!!!!



That makes more scents !!!See whatI heard was,that it helps to run "the dish washer" out to the woods.So I ran "the dish washer" out to the woods!! "She" ran back in and beat me nearly to death!!


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## mjdtexan (Feb 23, 2009)

Rocky Top said:


> Kitchen sink ???? Oh!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




That was good, thanks for the laugh.


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## admiral (Feb 23, 2009)

Rocky Top said:


> Kitchen sink ???? Oh!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Son, it is not nice to make the Admiral blow wine out his nose.!!! Very funny though!


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