High-banking health concerns

[Nugget]

I was running the high-banker yesterday in a fairly still, algae ridden creek and it got me thinking. Whilst running the high-banker the spray bar emits a fine mist into the air, is anyone aware of any known health related issues related to breathing in this possibly algae ridden mist? I couldn't imagine it being very good for you.

And while I'm on the subject, I spent the entire day soaked from the waste down, even my gumboots were full of water from the over spray. I remember someone mentioning a while back that they became quite I'll from this. So the question has to be asked, is this a health concern we should be thinking about before heading out?

Anyway, hopefully the flue like symptoms I've woken to this morning aren't the start of something more sinister

Cheers
Nugget

 

[Paydirt]

I do also wondering what biological nasties are being uncovered in stinking sediment. If it doesn't kill you does it really make you stronger - ie exposure builds resistance.

 

[Mudguts]

My spray bars don't get me wet at all or fill the air with mist
Might need to look into a better system or less pressure
Just my 2c worth

 

[Guest]

Nugget,

We had a stint out at Windeyer last weekend.

I took the waders for highbanking and they worked a treat. Kept us dry and warm in the cold water. They are not that expensive and you can kneel down in the creek if need be. No good in summer, you would cook.

Its annoying with gumboots when the hole you've just stepped in is 5 cm deeper than your gumboot!!!!!

No idea about the heath concerns though.

Was it at Nundle?

Cheers

Craig

 

[G0lddigg@]

a sureway to avoid being wet mate is to get some good waders and wear a spray jacket

On the point of algae generally excessive algae is a sure sign that the water has high levels of phosphates, carbon and sometimes nitrogen, excessive doses on any element can upset the ecology in a waterway. Think algae bloom blocks the sun and reduces oxygen, bugs, fish all die in the water causes rotting etc. so there are risks for sure. Using an algae filter on your pickup will reduce blockages in your spray bars but if they still get blocked i recommend adding a larger cut on the end of your bar. When you get a buildup you can cover your other slots with your hand and create a flushing pressure to the large gap which blows mots crap out of the pipe.

I'm a bit oldschool dont like to take pills, go to doctors etc. make some pasta lots of onions garlic spices etc. help your immune system help you

 

[Heatho]

I'd be careful not to inhale stuff like that, I'm pretty sure I've dug up an evil flu at the beach once while detecting, could have been co-incidence. Also at Inverell I've sieved in some really stinky and festy water that a wild pig wouldn't touch, few little infections from scratches in that water, nothing antibiotic cream didn't fix. I reckon I've had a crook tummy from getting water splashing on my face and a few drops in my mouth.

If you get a bad cough or any signs of a chest infection Nugget go and get on some antibiotics straight away from your GP. Though there is a flu getting around here at the moment, maybe co-incidence. I wouldn't worry too much.

I reckon my immune system is heaps better since starting fossicking.

I saw a bloke at the Sapphire park dunk his head in a big washtub with sheep and roo shit floating around in it after a long hot day digging, water was brown and soupy............. Some people even wash their sapphires in the tubs and then stick em in their mouth. I'm not that hard core.

 

[Bazz]

hey Nugget

I wear a lead apron while detecting :lol:

And I'd be happy to protect your health by taking the highbanker off your hands :lol:

Seriously, take it from someone who has dived, waded & worked in some of the crappyist, filthy bog holes around the world, you need to keep yourself heathy, treat and cover any wounds and if there is really a concern wear a mask

Hope you are feeling better

 

[Redmanti]

It is your hands that give me the most hassles. Need to use good 'water proof gloves' otherwise you can damage your nails.

 

[Colmaca]

I not worried very much I turned my spray bar up in the air wacked the pump on full , and had a shower when I was done good shower as well sprayed 5 mtrs into the air . Lucky I not seen anybody around for 50 miles

 

[elrodeo]

Yes there is an extremely dangerous disease that can be caught , it's called "Gold Fever"

On a serious note having highbanker edin quite dry areas and using stinky dank leech infested pools for water supply, I'm carefull not to get any of the putrid water near my mouth.

 

[richo966]

drinking tank water can make city people sick little tip all sorts of animals can get inside them you build up immunity to that sort of thing after a few exposures prospecting trips are not the place to be building up immunity if you are not used to doggy water take care or you will never forget the experience always take more toilet paper than you think you can use not nice running out when you have the runs

 

[Nugget]

My spray bars don't get me wet at all or fill the air with mist
Might need to look into a better system or less pressure
Just my 2c worth

I'm using a Walbanker with slotted spray bar made by the man himself. I believe the mist is more of problem with this design as apposed to a standard grizzly config due to the water blasting directly onto the classifying screen as well as the higher pressure / flow requirement. So changing the spray bar probably isn't an option unfortunately.

a sureway to avoid being wet mate is to get some good waders and wear a spray jacket

On the point of algae generally excessive algae is a sure sign that the water has high levels of phosphates, carbon and sometimes nitrogen, excessive doses on any element can upset the ecology in a waterway. Think algae bloom blocks the sun and reduces oxygen, bugs, fish all die in the water causes rotting etc. so there are risks for sure. Using an algae filter on your pickup will reduce blockages in your spray bars but if they still get blocked i recommend adding a larger cut on the end of your bar. When you get a buildup you can cover your other slots with your hand and create a flushing pressure to the large gap which blows mots crap out of the pipe.

I'm a bit oldschool dont like to take pills, go to doctors etc. make some pasta lots of onions garlic spices etc. help your immune system help you

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/357/1400801589_20140523_092753.jpg

I was going to buy a pair of waders 6 months or more ago but for some reason didn't go through with it. I think I'll be getting a pair very soon though.

To be honest I haven't had any blockages using the slotted spray bar. It's more the health affects I'm concerned about.

hey Nugget

I wear a lead apron while detecting :lol:

And I'd be happy to protect your health by taking the highbanker off your hands :lol:

Seriously, take it from someone who has dived, waded & worked in some of the crappyist, filthy bog holes around the world, you need to keep yourself heathy, treat and cover any wounds and if there is really a concern wear a mask

Hope you are feeling better

I appreciate the offer mate, but I think I'll be right :lol:

After a shower and something to eat I'm feeling much better, it might have been from the cold night air or something.

I'm thinking a mask might be the go during the dry periods as the more I think about it, breathing in cow poo, algae, mercury etc kinda worries me :/

It is your hands that give me the most hassles. Need to use good 'water proof gloves' otherwise you can damage your nails.

That's taking things a bit far isn't it mate? :lol:

I not worried very much I turned my spray bar up in the air wacked the pump on full , and had a shower when I was done good shower as well sprayed 5 mtrs into the air . Lucky I not seen anybody around for 50 miles

I'm going to give that a whirl next summer, it sounds like a great way to cool off

 

[Twapster]

Legionellosis is a common name for one of the several illnesses caused by Legionnaires' disease bacteria (LDB). Legionnaires' disease is an infection of the lungs that is a form of pneumonia. A person can develop Legionnaires' disease by inhaling water mist contaminated with LDB. LDB are widely present at low levels in the environment: in lakes, streams, and ponds.

source: https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/legionnaires/faq.html

 

[Daniel]

I might of infected you with the flu mate! I only just got over it so I was probably still contagious.. hopefully not tho.

And has for the dirty water. It was only a few minutes off killing me. And as for "exposure builds resistance" I wouldn't mess around with it as exposure has increased my vulnerability.. that being said last time I stuck a hand full of water and zircons in my mouth I'm almost certain I swallowed a zircon as one was missing so probably some water as well.. I didn't get sick. Tho the water was flowing so that is stopping it from being overly stagnant.

I'd say it would be more of a numbers game. Like you might get sick once for every certain number of trips you do. That's just guess with my dirty water experience.

Cheers.

 

[elrodeo]

My spray bars don't get me wet at all or fill the air with mist
Might need to look into a better system or less pressure
Just my 2c worth

I'm using a Walbanker with slotted spray bar made by the man himself. I believe the mist is more of problem with this design as apposed to a standard grizzly config due to the water blasting directly onto the classifying screen as well as the higher pressure / flow requirement. So changing the spray bar probably isn't an option unfortunately.

a sureway to avoid being wet mate is to get some good waders and wear a spray jacket

On the point of algae generally excessive algae is a sure sign that the water has high levels of phosphates, carbon and sometimes nitrogen, excessive doses on any element can upset the ecology in a waterway. Think algae bloom blocks the sun and reduces oxygen, bugs, fish all die in the water causes rotting etc. so there are risks for sure. Using an algae filter on your pickup will reduce blockages in your spray bars but if they still get blocked i recommend adding a larger cut on the end of your bar. When you get a buildup you can cover your other slots with your hand and create a flushing pressure to the large gap which blows mots crap out of the pipe.

I'm a bit oldschool dont like to take pills, go to doctors etc. make some pasta lots of onions garlic spices etc. help your immune system help you

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/357/1400801589_20140523_092753.jpg

I was going to buy a pair of waders 6 months or more ago but for some reason didn't go through with it. I think I'll be getting a pair very soon though.

To be honest I haven't had any blockages using the slotted spray bar. It's more the health affects I'm concerned about.

hey Nugget

I wear a lead apron while detecting :lol:

And I'd be happy to protect your health by taking the highbanker off your hands :lol:

Seriously, take it from someone who has dived, waded & worked in some of the crappyist, filthy bog holes around the world, you need to keep yourself heathy, treat and cover any wounds and if there is really a concern wear a mask

Hope you are feeling better

I appreciate the offer mate, but I think I'll be right :lol:

After a shower and something to eat I'm feeling much better, it might have been from the cold night air or something.

I'm thinking a mask might be the go during the dry periods as the more I think about it, breathing in cow poo, algae, mercury etc kinda worries me :/

It is your hands that give me the most hassles. Need to use good 'water proof gloves' otherwise you can damage your nails.

That's taking things a bit far isn't it mate? :lol:

I not worried very much I turned my spray bar up in the air wacked the pump on full , and had a shower when I was done good shower as well sprayed 5 mtrs into the air . Lucky I not seen anybody around for 50 miles

I'm going to give that a whirl next summer, it sounds like a great way to cool off

Nuggett your health is probably at more risk from the pies eat whilst away digging !!

Having spent the last 4 months studying pathogens in Biological science at Uni, it's interesting to note how hardy these little bacteria buggers can be.

 

[Varts]

Get dirty ,get wet,

A bit of creek water ain't going to hurt
Especially if you find a few cts

 

[Goldtarget]

As a scrap recycler quite often we worked the combined salvage of the rubbish collectors (known as mirth) good gloves and clothing was adequate protection from the nasties involved, even in the wet weather, good dose of garlic and hot chilies in the winter months are a must. Face masks are a good cheap option if you are really concerned, hot water and soap will dispense alot of nasties, dry prospecting in the main probably Carries a greater chance of ill health, once the particles are wet they tend to drop a bit faster. I've delved in a few bog holes in my time, pretty nasty places, never been affected except when hit by the tiny leeches, can give a pretty good swell of the hands in the brackish stuff. I'm glad someone has pointed this out though anything we can do to protect ourselves is good practice, unfortunately some waterways are conduits for some awful stuff.

 

[Piep]

There are a few waterborne diseases, but the majority of those are associated with algae blooms in the warmer months, or to be more precise, with the toxins that some algae produce in warm, nutrient rich waters. Most algae are of no concern to our health directly, though algae blooms can affect us indirectly by killing fish and ruining (drinking) water supplies.

Of the top of my head there's 3 bacteria (algae) that pose a risk: Blue-green algae blooms (cyanobacteria), Legionnaires disease (Legionella pneumophila) and of course Botulism (Clostridium botulinum), though I'm not sure if Australia has ever found botulism in its waterways, I know its present in soils, affecting livestock. Of course, if there have been floods recently, another risk is sewage effluent. (Or if someone has a leaking septic tank near your water) There are a whole host of nasties to be aware of then, but they won't generally be visible as blooms of algae. It's why you get the advice to stay away and out of floodwaters and flood affected areas.

For what it's worth, if you don't have open wounds on exposed skin when working soils or sediments, your skin, and the membranes in your nose, will generally do a fine job protecting you. As long as your water didn't look like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=blu...SbkAWI34DoBg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1548&bih=955 , your algae are probably harmless. Legionella and botulism are not visible in water, they don't form visible blooms, so your algae aren't these two.

It may be an idea to look at your banker again and see if it can be improved in a way that prevents or redirects the overspray and fine mist?

 

[Paydirt]

Spend 6 months in India then you will know all about festy water

 

[casper]

Who else hates "predictive text"

I was running the high-banker yesterday in a fairly still, algae ridden creek and it got me thinking. Whilst running the high-banker the spray bar emits a fine mist into the air, is anyone aware of any known health related issues related to breathing in this possibly algae ridden mist? I couldn't imagine it being very good for you.

And while I'm on the subject, I spent the entire day soaked from the waste waist down, even my gumboots were full of water from the over spray. I remember someone mentioning a while back that they became quite I'll ill from this. So the question has to be asked, is this a health concern we should be thinking about before heading out?

Anyway, hopefully the flue flu like symptoms I've woken to this morning aren't the start of something more sinister

Cheers
Nugget

sorree sorry Nugget

casper