I am an advocate of healthy studio practices. The classic text, "Artist Beware" by Michael McCann, PhD tops my list of must read books for artists in any medium. There are half a dozen excellent books on the topic and the basic information is the same, be careful, be smart, consider the long term effects of repeated use of any mildly irritating or toxic material no matter how innocent or odorless. To start, buy or check out one of these books. It's less than $15 bucks. Put it on your Christmas or New Year's gift list right now. Think of what it might save you.
And what is bad for you is bad for your family, the people you work around, the environment and on and on. Like second hand smoke, toxic materials and practices can have a serious effect on everything. Unlike second hand smoke, you need to do a little homework to figure out the best way to deal with the issue. If you have kids or students, you are not just teaching them potentially bad habits but exposing them to hazardous materials. Do what you can to keep them safe and maybe save your own life in the process.
I thought I'd make some of the homework easier for you, because I like you. There it is, affection and a strong desire not to have another friend get sick or die because no one told them that paint, glaze, solvents, pastels, dry pigments, sanding plaster, and plutonium are toxic. At the end of this post is a list of websites to get you started. And for the record, plutonium is a lousy pigment anyway, just don't use it.
For painters the big risks have to do with breathing and handling solvents and pigments. This gets a lot riskier if you make your own paint or get your hands into the stuff, like I do. Simple precautions begin with wearing barrier cream and a breather, not just a cheap little nose dust mask, but a good dust and fume filter like the one pictured. Eye protection is also recommended.
When you handle anything often, or for years and years, the risks increase. So students and occasional artists don't run the risks that professional or regular painters do. The volume of paint or solvent matters, so muralists, faux surface painters, grand scale painting and work in large volume all make this more of an issue for you. To put it bluntly, if you spread enough paint to make a living, you might be killing yourself.
I have to add, the more paint you use and the more often you paint, the more likely you are to take all this for granted. You aren't sick yet and you feel fine. Please, don't assume that because you don't have a reaction to paint or solvents that you aren't doing damage. Old house painters and billboard painters are all sick, unless they were very lucky or fell off the ladder before the other symptoms showed up.
The list of artists who have died from the effects of the craft is long, tragic and heartbreaking. I have friends on that list. If you have other health issues, smoke or are just starting to consider the health risks after more than 20 years of painting, you need to take this seriously.
From ancient times artists' lives have been impacted by the tools and materials we use. If the government is now deciding that just being in a room that has been freshly painted is a serious health risk, what about standing over an open palette and smearing wet paint for hours a day for years and years. So, first get to know the risks based on the type and brand of materials, then see if there are healthier alternatives. After that, see that you get out once in a while, work in an area with good ventilation or in a really big room, and ALWAYS use barrier cream and a mask if you are handling pigments or solvents.
As a result of handling solvents in high school and college I poisoned myself and have a serious reaction to hydrocarbons. A small amount of petro-solvents causes me to swell up, get nauseous and have severe headaches. No one mentioned the risks at the time and I can only wonder how bad the damage to my system was that I would have these reactions over 30 years later. Be smart and be careful.
Here are some links to get you started. Notice that several are government operated. The same people who think it's okay to sell automatic weapons think ceramics might kill you... so guns don't scare 'em, but red glaze # 4 does. Makes ya think.
A great data base of materials and techniques, risks and precautions.
the page from the above about paint and drawing materials
Artist safety links and information from the National Library of Medicine
More links from the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology
a page by an artist with similar concerns
4 comments:
What about gloves? Should I always wear gloves? It's cold in my studio anyway and I hate getting dirty. Thanks for the suggestions.
excellent post. thanks. eva hess's brain tumor was most likely caused by the resin. she was handling it with her hands!
when i was working with resin i always wore my mask..with a fan behind me!
cheers, l. parnell
Good point, you need to protect your hands.
Gloves are good, but not all gloves will do the job. Cloth, canvas or leather gloves are no protection against solvent or liquid toxins. Latex and most vinyl gloves are themselves solvent based and break down on contact with solvents.
Barrier cream creates a fine hand protection for light use, but for heavy use or long duration, use gloves rated for handling solvents or acid. Think of this stuff as poison, and treat it accordingly.
Glad to hear you are being safe Linda, I think lapses in judgement may have been Eva's first warning sign.
be safe
That mask really brings out your beautiful brown eyes ;-)
Keep up the very important green work
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