Important Health & Safety Information

[christopher walrath]

I have a dorky looking rubber apron, at least covers over my footwear, protective glasses (as I sweat like the dickens under goggles) and, if mixing chemicals from a stock solution, a half face respirator (you can pick these up cheap enough from auto parts stores that sell paint).

 

[shootLib]

well ... i have been sticking my hands in the chemicals for awhile now.
i hope i havent caused any damage. and i can't say that i actually want to stop and used something to protect myself. time consuming.

but....now i have little concern...

 

[sunshinedaydream]

well ... i have been sticking my hands in the chemicals for awhile now.
i hope i havent caused any damage. and i can't say that i actually want to stop and used something to protect myself. time consuming.

but....now i have little concern...

I do it too, i hate using tongs...and who wants to wear thick rubber gloves? but I've learned my lesson about sticking your hands in the sepia toning chemicals. Three fingers on my right hand look so brown and dirty, and it won't go away!!!

 

[lisa_13]

i almost don't want to read anything on the website that is in all papyrus...

 

[compur]

Dipping ones hide in metol type developers can cause an ugly and painful
allergic skin rash after years of doing this. I've seen it on others.

I use a surgical type rubber glove on one hand for times when I must poke my
fingers in the soup. They are cheap.

 

[maris]

This thread is the result of a comment made in another conversation.

Over the years I have come to realise that although a great many people enjoy processing and printing their films they are completely unaware of the risks some of the chemicals used in the darkroom can pose to health.
I am not attempting to put people off using photographic processes, or to frighten them. But it is important to treat photographic chemicals with care and respect and not take unnecessary risks.
Observing safe practice is essential for those who teach or run classes of any kind. Nobody likes a law suit except a lawyer.

The purpose of this thread, then, is to provide advice, information and links to other relevant sites concerning known health risks posed by photographic chemicals, and to promote safe working practices.

I would therefore strongly advise everyone to visit these web pages, print them out and read them carefully.

Photography
Health & Safety in the Arts: Photography Chemicals

It is a reasonably complete list of chemicals used in photography along with the various health risks they pose.

The level of hazard posed by the various chemicals depends upon a number of factors, including age, fitness and general health. The risks are also assessed on the basis that the chemical is undiluted. Even so it is best to err on the side of caution.

This page contains some very useful links:

Hazards

The site itself has lots of other interesting and useful information for artisits.

The information qouted in the links is both correct and amazingly irrelevant to the needs of people working in an amateur darkroom.

The lists look like what anyone could cobble together from reference sources like the Merck Index or the CRC Handbook. Most of the items listed are not used by any photographers working in a modern darkroom and probably represent a compendium of things that may have been tried at one time or another in the past. Also very conspicious is complete absence of discussion (probably reflecting complete ignorance) about actual photographic processing practice.


You need to know all this stuff if you intend to set up a chemical engineering factory to manufacture photographic processing solutions from pure raw materials. Otherwise it is largely alarmist folderol.

The photographic developing solutions that ordinary people can buy in shops are weak alkalis, weak reducing agents, with rare allergy potential for sensitive people. Compared to scented bath soap photographic developers are very safe, mild, and unlikely to cause a rash.

Photographic stop bath is an acetic acid solution weaker than pickle vinegar, another acetic acid solution. People eat pickle vinegar!

Photographic fixer is a solution of ammonium thiosulphate which is far far safer than ordinary laundry bleach or toilet cleaner. And so on...

Common sense and actual information about practical photochemistry is a better source of darkroom safety.

 

[terri]

Hertz is neither alarmist or ignorant, and the links have been there for some time with no one crying foul. To somehow imply this post, in offering links to get people reading and thinking about safety procedures in the darkroom, is somehow irresponsible and doing us a disservice, is absurd.

Photographic stop bath is an acetic acid solution weaker than pickle vinegar, another acetic acid solution. People eat pickle vinegar!

You wouldn't take a deep whiff of acetic acid, though, would you? :er: Of all the things you just went off about, this might be the most dangerous thing you've said.

 

[CW Jones]

I feel this thread should have been made, and locked as to keep chatter and fallacy to a minimum...

Let people add links and facts via PM to a mod or something.

 

[maris]

Hertz is neither alarmist or ignorant, and the links have been there for some time with no one crying foul. To somehow imply this post, in offering links to get people reading and thinking about safety procedures in the darkroom, is somehow irresponsible and doing us a disservice, is absurd.

Hertz is OK but the links are poor because they don't get people reading and thinking about safety procedures in the darkroom. The hazard data in the links does not connect to the actual photochemistry that people encounter in the darkroom. It should.

There is a modern trend toward alarmism and an overestimation of actual hazards. I noticed this years ago when I was a consultant for Eastman Chemicals (the chemical engineering arm of Kodak). As the "hot-line" guy I would get 'phone calls about developers, stops, and fixers from spooked amateurs and I can't recall an unequivocal case of chemical injury. The people at most risk were in the professional processing labs where they actually handled stuff like glacial acetic acid. Amateurs could not (and should not) get stuff like this without an appropriate chemical handling ticket, a hazmat clearance, and a training course. The big pro labs had eye wash stations, safety showers, spill control kits, antidotes, and "disaster" procedures. I made sure they did. Home darkroom formulae were specifically made in small packages with a big safety factor in mind.

Later I did scientific research in toxicology at a government laboratory and had the sobering experience of watching thousands of animals die in the cause of knowledge. Chemical poisoning is a grim business but in everyday life it is hard to encounter accidentally. There is a wall of laws and restrictions for public access to laboratory style chemicals. And it's those laboratory and industrial chemicals that the links at the top of this thread refer to. But what if you are standing in front of a tray of rapid fixer in a regular darkroom; what's the hazard there? The links have absolutely nothing to say!

Photographic stop bath is an acetic acid solution weaker than pickle vinegar, another acetic acid solution. People eat pickle vinegar!

You wouldn't take a deep whiff of acetic acid, though, would you? :er: Of all the things you just went off about, this might be the most dangerous thing you've said.

A whiff of glacial acetic acid is dangerous but I can't get glacial acetic acid and I expect most of this forum's members don't have the legal clearances either. Those that can get it should know it and fear it. Home darkroom stop-bath concentrate is a nasty smell which you won't want to repeat. But you won't die. A dilute working stop bath is weaker than pickle vinegar.

By way of comparison ordinary laundry bleach is terrifying. Every year scores of people (mostly children) die, suffer mutilation or go blind from it.

I urge darkroom workers to get the real facts from the manufacturers themselves. If you use D-76 developer ask Kodak, about ID-11 ask Ilford, for SB-50 stop bath ask Fotospeed and so on.... The links at the top of this thread don't really inform you about what to buy, how to mix it, and how to use it so you stay safe.

 

[terri]

It's easy to join a forum and spout off, which is all you're doing so far.

Since you claim to have consultant experience, why not offer up some helpful links yourself on the subject and contribute to this thread in a more positive way?

Thanks.

 

[HowToDevelopFilm]

There is a modern trend toward alarmism and an overestimation of actual hazards.

This probably has to do with the sue-happy society we live in. Unless companies warn against every single way somebody could get injured, some say they could be at risk.

 

[jasonphoto]

thans a lot for this info,,

 

[unpopular]

The concentration of acetic acid in stop bath is about 7%, slightly more than white distiller vinegar. Stock solutions are at 30%, which might be a bit more of a concern. I don't know about Australia, but you can get glacial acetic acid in the united states pretty easily. It is a very harmful acid, but not, as far as I've known, controlled. I do not even think it's a dea list chemical, like silver nitrate is, and you can still get clearance pretty easily for that, and most other common photo chemicals that are listed. It's just a matter of telling the DEA who you are and where you live. Most retailers handle this for you and all you have to do is fill out a form.

Fixer is metabisulfite or thiosulfite, which is pretty safe, and is used as an benign sterilizer in food and beverages. I used it to clear ammonia in our cats litter box. It can be found at any brewshop, and I've never seen any warnings on it. It irritates the mucus membranes pretty bad, but I don't think it's toxic, especially not in a solution.Clearing agents are sodium sulfite, which I am not totally familiar with but I doubt is excessively toxic. Both sodium sulfite and metabisulfite have a health rating of 2.

I have all these msds in storage with my chemistry set. If anyone wants more specific information I can get them out.

Developers are very broad, but primarily are combinations of two chemical, metol and hydoquinone. They typically also contain potassium bromide and potassium or sodium hydroxide to increase pH. All of these chemicals are relatively toxic when taken internally over a long period of time. Potassium Bromide, an anticonvulsant used in Europe, was taken off US markets due to bromide buildup in the blood. It is difficult to dose over the long term. However, the amount of bromide in developer is very small, something like one gram per gallon of stock (I think, it's been a while). Potassium Bromide is often prescribed in greater than one gram amounts for seizures.

Metol and Hydroquinone are both known carcinogens over prolonged acute exposure. I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't be too worried about then unless you work for Illford or Kodak. Gloves should be plenty enough protection. Both are very water soluble. Other developers, like Pyrocatechol are another matter, and are extremely toxic.Potassium and sodium hydroxide are used only to adjust pH. Both of these chemicals are very caustic and will burn you, but not at the concentrations of prepared developer.

While daily photochemistry is prob. Pretty safe, be aware that concentrated stock solutions need a bit of extra care. Both developer and stop may cause mild burns or dermatitis, and used fix contains metallic silver and should be handled as toxic. The other stuff might have some environmental concerns, so check with local regulations about disposal, and use common sense when handling.

 

[BlackSheep]

For any chemical (darkroom or otherwise), you can look up the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) online, usually right on the manufacturer's website. These sheets include information on what the active ingredients are, how it can affect you (i.e. if you swallow some, or if it contacts your skin, etc., etc.) and first aid info. So, for example - here is the link to the available MSDS's on Kodak D-76:

Search Results

The best part about using the MSDS's is that they are specific to the product you are using, so there's no second-guessing about concentrations and that sort of stuff.

The MSDS's are available for pretty much anything, at least here in Canada - even for Windex and deodorant room sprays!

 

[edcculus]

For any chemical (darkroom or otherwise), you can look up the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) online, usually right on the manufacturer's website. These sheets include information on what the active ingredients are, how it can affect you (i.e. if you swallow some, or if it contacts your skin, etc., etc.) and first aid info. So, for example - here is the link to the available MSDS's on Kodak D-76:

Search Results

The best part about using the MSDS's is that they are specific to the product you are using, so there's no second-guessing about concentrations and that sort of stuff.

The MSDS's are available for pretty much anything, at least here in Canada - even for Windex and deodorant room sprays!

I was going to mention this, and I'm glad you did. I think this should be put on the first post rather than here at the end. If you want to know about any chemical, look up the MSDS. I work in printing, and we have to have an MSDS sheet for any ink, coating, varnish, chemical, plate developer etc that comes in the building.

If you can't find the MSDS online, contact the manufacturer, and they can send you one.