> I recall that the hardener contained amines which I thought someone told
> me was volitile - and nasty. But, when using epoxy I detect very little
> odor. You sound like you are up to speed on this stuff. Anything to this?
> Maybe I'm confused, and it just that the amines are a problem with direct
> skin contact.

> I do use the gloves & long sleeves.

The curing agents have different chemistry than the resins, but the same precautions apply. The amines are not all that volatile, i.e. vapor pressures are low, but they certainly are nasty. They are first cousins to ammonia, hence the familiar smell when you fist open the can, and they are highly alkaline and therefore corrosive. There is a far wider variety of curing agents than resins, and you can't be sure what's in them without checking the Material Safety Data Sheet supplied by the manufacturer for each individual product. Some may be benign, but it's best to assume the worst. Skin protection and respirators are a good idea.

BTW, I have been sensitized to several epoxy resins and curing agents, and some curing agents for urethanes since the middle '80s. One product in particular has my number so badly that smelling it causes bleeding sores on my feet! Nevertheless, wearing proper safety equipment has let me work with these materials without contact dermatitis for twelve years. Again, it's not a life-altering condition, but who knows what the long-term effects are? The industrial medicine folks at the local university research hospital claim no such knowledge. So it just seems prudent to have a healthy respect for the stuff and use the safety equipment.