| 1 |
WATER-BASED PAINTS |
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May contain preservatives, such as formaldehyde |
Don't eat, drink, smoke in studio; wash hands, including under fingernails (good hygiene); switch to formaldehyde-free painting medium; avoid inhaling pigment powder; use least toxic preservatives possible |
| 2 |
Acrylic Paints (Water-Emulsion) |
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May contain ammonia which may cause eye, nose, throat irritation, especially if large amounts are used;may contain preservatives, such as formaldehyde |
Good hygiene; switch to formaldehyde-free painting medium; avoid inhaling pigment powder; use least toxic preservatives possible; use window exhaust fan |
| 3 |
Watercolors and Gouache |
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Moderately toxic |
Slightly toxic |
Gum arabic and gum tragacanth cause skin allergies; gum arabic can cause asthma; may contain preservatives, such as formaldehyde |
Good hygiene; switch to formaldehyde-free painting medium; avoid inhaling pigment powder; use least toxic preservatives possible |
| 4 |
Casein Paints |
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Strong irritant |
Strong irritant |
Ammonia also causes irritation to eyes |
Good hygiene; switch to formaldehyde-free painting medium; avoid inhaling pigment powder; use least toxic preservatives possible; use exhaust fan; wear gloves; goggles; apron; use eyewash fountain |
| 5 |
Tempera |
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Highly toxic |
Highly toxic |
Hazards in pigments & preservatives; tetrachloroethane highly toxic; more toxic than carbon tetrachloride, causing severe liver damage |
Good hygiene; DO NOT USE tetrachloroethane |
| 6 |
Fresco Paints |
Limewater moderately toxic |
Powdered lime highly corrosive |
Limewater moderately toxic |
Powdered lime is highly corrosive by eye contact |
Good hygiene; switch to formaldehyde-free painting medium; avoid inhaling pigment powder; use least toxic preservatives possible; wear gloves and goggles when handling lime; use eyewash fountain |
| 7 |
Latex Paints |
Slightly toxic if glycols are present |
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Possibly toxic if the paint contains glycol ethers |
May contain glycols, mercury |
Don't use paints with mercury preservatives |
| 8 |
NON-WATER BASED PAINTS |
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| 9 |
Oil Paints |
Pigment Poisoning |
Turpentine/mineral spirits moderately to seriously toxic |
Pigment poisoning; turpentine absorbed through skin |
Turpentine, mineral spirits moderately toxic by all routes of entry; they're irritants and narcotics; wood/steam-distilled turpentine more toxic than gum turpentine; turpentine washes very hazardous |
Good hygiene; replace turpentine with turpenoid/odorless mineral spirits; set up window exhaust fan; don't do turpentine wash; wear respirator w/organic vapor cartridges; neoprene gloves; reuse solvent; remove paint from hands with baby or vegetable oil |
| 10 |
Alkyd and Other Solvent-Based Paints |
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Toxic |
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Pigment hazards; solvent-based paints more hazardous than oil paints; much more solvent exposure; toluene/xylene much more toxic than paints with mineral spirits; flammable |
Use powerful exhaust fan; wear NIOSH-approved respirator with organic vapor cartridges; eliminate ignition sources; use neoprene gloves; replace turpentine with turpenoid/odorless mineral spirits |
| 11 |
Encaustic |
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Respiratory irritation from decomposition of waxes |
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Pigment hazard; fire hazard from heating wax |
Good hygiene; always cover containers of dry pigments; melt wax in double boiler or on hot plate; don't use flame; use lowest temperature feasible to minimize vaporization of wax |
| 12 |
Epoxy Paints |
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Hardeners moderately toxic/ solvents in epoxy systems highly toxic |
Hardeners moderately toxic |
Pigment hazards; epoxy hardeners can cause large numbers of skin and respiratory allergies; solvents in epoxy systems can include aromatic hydrocarbons, which can cause irritation, narcosis, and liver damage |
Good hygiene; wear neoprene gloves and have very good ventilation; use an organic vapor respirator when working indoors |
| 13 |
VARNISHES, LACQUERS, MEDIUMS |
Turpentine; methyl alcohol; ethyl alcohol; methylene chloride moderately toxic |
Turpentine; methyl alcohol moderately toxic; ethyl alcohol slightly toxic; toluene, xylene; methylene chloride highly toxic |
Turpentine; methyl alcohol moderately toxic; ethyl alcohol slightly toxic; toluene, xylene; methylene chloride moderately toxic |
Turpentine irritant/narcotic, can cause kidney damage/allergies; methyl alcohol affects nervous system/liver/kidneys; toluene, xylene absorbed through skin; n-hexane highly toxic/flammable/cause nerve damage; methylene chloride probable carcinogen |
Wear gloves; have good local exhaust ventilation; wear NIOSH-approved organic vapor respirator; take precautions against fire; place solvent-soaked rags in waste disposal can, & empty daily; wash hands with baby/vegetable oil; avoid methylene chloride |
| 14 |
PRESERVATIVES |
Hazard for children |
Not sufficient hazard |
Not sufficient hazard |
Use of pure preservatives to add to art materials can be a hazard to the artist, depending on the preservative |
With children, use only materials & preservatives approved for children; use least toxic preservatives available; use gloves, ventilation, personal protective equipment |
| 15 |
SPRAY PAINTING |
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Highly hazardous |
Accidental injection of spray into fingers from high-pressure spray guns |
Spraying of solvent-containing paints/aerosol spray cans with flammable propellants is fire hazard; spray guns/airbrushes/aerosol spray cans can produce fine particulate mist that remains in air for up to 2 hours; can cause headache/nausea/fatigue |
Use spray booth, exhausted to outside; wear NIOSH-approved respirator, w/toxic dust and mist, or organic vapor cartridges; use exhaust fan; don't spray w/ carcinogenic pigments; eliminate flames; avoid getting fingers in way |
| 16 |
DRY DRAWING MEDIA |
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| 17 |
Pastels |
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Dust major hazard; may cause sensitivity in asthmatics; spray fixatives hazardous |
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Pastels can contain toxic pigments, including chrome yellow, cadmium, and manganese; poorly labeled; blowing off excess pastel dust increases amount of dust inhalation; n-hexane can cause nerve damage |
Avoid pigments containing lead chromate & other toxic pigments; don't blow off excess dust; tap drawing; wear NIOSH-approved toxic dust respirator; don't hand rub drawing; wet mop; switch to less dusty pastels; use exhaust fan and spray outside |
| 18 |
Pencils, Graphite, Charcoal, and Chalks |
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Hazards with graphite, charcoal dust; solvent-based drawing gums, spray fixatives hazardous |
Solvent-based drawing gums hazardous |
Inhalation of large amounts of graphite over a period of years can cause a benign pneumoconiosis; blowing off excess charcoal dust is major cause of inhalation of charcoal dust; dustless chalks have binders added |
Avoid toxic pigments; don't blow off excess dust; tap drawing; wear NIOSH-approved toxic dust respirator; don't hand rub drawing; wet mop; use water-based drawing gums instead of solvent-based types |
| 19 |
Oil Pastels, Oil Sticks, and Crayons |
Toxic pigments, such as lead chromate, hazardous |
Solvents hazardous |
Pigments are irritants; solvents hazardous |
Industrial crayons may have toxic pigments such as lead chromate; children's varieties should have only nontoxic pigments and extenders; oil pastels and sticks may also have toxic pigments |
Avoid crayons, oil pastels, or oil sticks containing lead chromate or other extremely toxic pigments; use window exhaust fan if you use solvents |
| 20 |
LIQUID DRAWING MEDIA |
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| 21 |
Pen and Ink |
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Dyes and inks irritating; solvent-based inks containing toluene are highly toxic |
Solvent-based inks highly toxic if absorbed |
Water-based drawing inks normally not considered hazardous, although little is known about the hazards of the dyes used in some of these inks; solvent-based inks hazardous |
Do not airbrush solvent-based drawing inks, obtain MSDS's for the inks |
| 22 |
Felt-Tip Markers |
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Xylene hazardous; ethyl and propyl alcohol less toxic, but irritating; methyl isobutyl ketone strongly irritating |
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Water-based felt-tip markers are normally not considered hazardous, although little is known about the dyes used; xylene-containing markers may cause dizziness, headaches, nausea if they're used without adequate ventilation |
Use water-based, or alcohol-based markers; use window exhaust fan when using large numbers of permanent markers, or when using them for extended periods of time |
