Jeanine Hill-Soldner Artist/Educator

Risk Factors:
There are risk factors associated with working as a visual artist. I have painted most of my life with oils, acrylics or watercolors. Watercolors are the most benign from the health and safety point of view. I have experienced some problems associated with solvents used in oil painting and with preservatives used in acrylic paints.

The 5 most important hazards or risks associated with my work:

1. Respiratory ailments from using solvent. Bronchitis, chemical pneumonia, permanent lung damage can result. I have found alternatives to the most volatile solvents.
2. Eye irritation from paints and solvents. Eye injuries can occur from dust or volatile particles lodged in the eyes.
3. Various skin allergies and diseases can develop from long term exposure to solvents and some heavy metals in paints.
4. Brain damage and damage to internal organs can occur over long-term exposure to various solvents and heavy metals in paints.
5. Overuse injuries can develop from repetitive physical movements. (Carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis etc.)

Acrylics
Most acrylic paints contain a small percentage of formaldehyde and/or ammonia as a preservative. These occasionally cause allergic reactions in individuals who are sensitive to them, especially if they are using large amounts of gel or polymer emulsion.

Illness:
I used acrylics and polymer emulsion while painting a three-wall mural in a room with poor ventilation. The result after about 80 hours of exposure in two-week period was pneumonia and respiratory irritation. The culprit was formaldehyde and ammonia that I inhaled thus irritating the tissues in my lungs.

Solvents
Solvents have been problematic for my health during the many years that I have worked with oil paints. Solvents are potentially toxic substances, which should be used in a well- ventilated work area. I have experienced headaches, dizziness, eye irritation and dry sore skin from using the common solvent turpentine.

Illness:
The earliest paintings I executed were painted in oils with turpentine as a solvent. This was repeated in college with the addition of linseed oil and later kopal medium. Not until three years ago while sharing a studio with another oil painter did the effects of my work environment begin to effect my health. Headaches, stinging burning eyes, dizziness, sleepiness, and skin irritation were the symptoms we both experienced. We began seeking out products that were less volatile than turpentine and Liquin. (Winsor and Newton)

Ways that artists are exposed to solvents:

• Most organic solvents are hazardous if swallowed: Ingestion occurs when bad habits like biting fingernails, pointing brush with lips or eating, drinking and smoking in the studio. Ingestion can also occur when solvents are put in unmarked containers and confused for food containers.
• If solvent vapors are inhaled they are hazardous: Inhalation Most air-borne chemicals enter the body through the respiratory system. They are absorbed by our lungs and enter the bloodstream where they can affect all parts of the body. While the body has some defenses for fighting the entry of these substances, some chemicals still get through. Solvent vapors absorbed by our lungs, can cause damage to lung tissue the way direct contact with solvent can damage skin
• Many solvents can be absorbed through the skin.
• Skin Absorption Our skin can protect our body from some toxins. Solvents can destroy the epidermis by causing burns, irritation and infections. Chapped or broken skin allows toxins into the bloodstream and throughout the body. Some solvents can be absorbed even with healthy skin.

Flammable Artist Materials

• Most common solvents used by artists are flammable. A flammable liquid is defined as reaching flash point under 100 F (38 C), and combustible if it's flash point is at or above 100 F (38 C).
• The flash point of a liquid is the lowest temperature at which the liquid gives off enough vapors to form an ignitable mixture with air the surface of the liquid.
• Spontaneous combustion: Oil soaked rags are a potential fire hazard if not stored properly. Materials such as linseed oil, tung oil, and other organic oils, as well as turpentine and limotene, slowly oxidize in the air and release heat. If the heat cannot dissipate, it builds up and can reach the self-ignition temperature of the rag. This is particularly a hazard when oily rags are placed in piles where the heat cannot dissipate.

Precautions:

1. Store all solvents in original containers in metal cabinets. Never store them in open containers or near a heat source.
2. Only store what you will need over a short period of time.
3. Oil or solvent soaked rags should be disposed of in metal containers with tight fitting lid and removed from the studio regularly.
4. Equip your studio with a fire extinguisher.
5. Mark each container with date of purchase so old inventories can be used first.
6. Segregate reactive materials separately to prevent explosive or potentially harmful substances from intermixing.
7. Store potentially harmful or flammable materials in easy to reach areas.
8. Powder pigments should be stored in plastic containers to avoid spills.
9. Never store food with art materials.
10. Read storage instructions on the labels of materials and follow manufacturer specifications.

Prevention:
The first step to prevention of health hazards in the art studio begins with determining potential toxic substances. To determine if any products you use regularly are toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin, read the products label carefully. Become familiar with the materials you use and take steps to protect yourself from the potential of harmful effects. If you work with solvents regularly or with materials that are acid or produce dust you should consider using personal or studio protection.

Implementation:

1. Keep solvent containers closed when not in use
2. Use the smallest amount of solvent possible.
3. Refrain from eating, drinking or smoking when using solvents
4. Install proper ventilation, open windows and doors, install exhaust fans or air conditioner to clean the air.
5. Dilution ventilation brings in clean, outside air to dilute contaminates and then exhausts them outside. Local exhaust ventilation captures dusts, fumes, and vapors at their source and exhausts them before you can breathe the air they contaminate.
6. Respirators should be used when ventilation is not an option. Respirator captures particles in removable filters before they can be inhaled.
7. Protective creams and gloves are effective in preventing skin contact with potentially harmful materials.
8. Choose solvents with the least volatility. There are alternatives for oil painters to the most volatile solvents.
9. Odorless Paint Thinner OPT instead of turpentine for thinning oil paints and painting mediums with the exception of damar.
10. Turpenoid Natural instead of turpentine or OPT to clean brushes.
11. Baby oil instead of solvents to clean hands and brushes.
12. Joy dish soap or Fels Naptha bar soap to clean brushes and hands.
13. Citrus cleaners to clean oil residue in work space (Challenger)
14. Galkyd (Gamblin) is a low odor glazing and painting medium that speeds drying.
15. Stand oil and poppy oil provide low volatility painting mediums without the addition of turpentine and these are slow drying.

References:
"The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide" Second Edition
Monona Rossol
Allworth Press, New York 1994

"Artist Beware"
Michael McCann, Ph.D.,C.I.H.
The Lyons Press, New York c 1992

"The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques"
Fifth Edition
Ralph Mayer
Viking Press c1985

Daniel Smith Tech Leaflets
http://www.danielsmith.com/leaflet-safe-studio.html