> While we are on the subject, should I be using a respirator with epoxy?
> Activated Charcoal(carbon)?

Probably not necessary, but not a bad precaution. Years ago epoxy formulators weren't smart enough to make low viscosity resins without loading them up with volatile organic solvents, like acetone, toluene, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone and so on, all nasty stuff. The newest generation of epoxy is "100% solids", i.e. nothing evaporates, all the liquid turns into solid. Part of this is development of shorter epoxy molecules, but part is also due to use of reactive and nonreactive diluents. None of these components is as hazardous as organic solvents, but there is a wide variety of these chemicals and they have varying characteristics.

Given sufficient exposure, nearly everyone will develop a sensitivity to epoxy, but as with tobacco there is a wide range of threshhold levels. Once sensitized, you're sensitized for life. That's not terribly debilitating, but it's totally unnecessary. At the very least you should wear latex gloves and long sleeves to keep it off your skin, and a respirator to prevent lung exposure is a small price to pay to head off contact dermatitis in an area that's hard to scratch.