"Polaroid" Instant Films - are they a health hazard ?

It was recently pointed out to me that all these instant films pose a

major health hazard if handled incorrectly?

 

Does anyone know if this is true?

Does it affect particular brands or just colour or b+w?

 

Any info appreciated!

The developing chemicals in Polaroid film are strongly alkaline. They can cause deep chemical burns if left on the skin, and serious eye damage. You must follow the directions for first aid if skin or eye contact is made.

 

Alkali burns are particularly serious because they penetrate the skin so deeply. They dissolve the fats and oils that protect the skin from other corrosive substances.

 

The Material Safety Data (MSD) sheets for Polaroid film are available the the following web site:

 

http://www.polaroid.com/service/msds/index.html

You'd have to eat the entire damn box of polo to get hurt. LOL.

 

To be honest I have used them tons and gotten some of that goop on my hands from time to time and just wiped it on my jeans. No burns no tissue damage - just a dirty mark on my jeans.

 

So unless your going to open one up and then rub the goop in your bare eyes then you haven't got anything to worry about.

 

he he - I think the amount of photographers walking around with a polaroid in held between their lips while changing lenses or some such thing and have never even seen so much as a skin irritation.

"pose a major health hazard if handled incorrectly"

 

So does milk.

I've shot CASES of Polaroid and only had skin irritated once- and that was after I got lots of gel on my hand- washed it off, the skin underneath was fine.

 

What were the other "instant processes" in the 50's and 60's that were actually toxic?

someone yelled at me "dont get that on you skin it causes cancer" ...so this is a little bit of an exaggeration then eh!

The Polaroid 'goo' is equivalent to LYE. This is Sodium Hydroxide. It is very concentrated. The film has an acid sheet to neutralize it as quickly as possible, but:

 

1. Eating a pod or un neutralized 'goo' will destroy the esophagus and the stomach lining causing severe injury.

 

2. Getting goo in the eyes can result in blindness.

 

It is not good to get on the skin either. It should be washed with water until there is no more 'slippery' feeling to the skin that was affected. Part of that slippery feeling is due to the lye itself, and the other part is due to carboxy methy cellulose or something like it that makes the stuff gooey. (Like the ingredient in citrucel).

 

There are other ingredients in the goos that vary from color to B&W and from B&W product to product. These include organic bases and organic silver halide solvents.

 

I'm an organic chemist by education and a photographic product engineer by trade as well as being a life long photographer. I do a lot of Polaroids myself, and I keep the goo off my hands and clothes, or wash them immediately to remove the chemicals.

 

I don't leave any residue in the wild for animals to contact. A no-no for wildlife.

 

Do what you wish, but I myself will take precautions. I also wear rubber gloves when I tray process my prints and film but a lot of people don't.

 

Be safe, not sorry.

 

Ron Mowrey

This explains all the strange burn like marks i get on my fingers on occasion... I never know how i get them... guess I know now. =)

Dave, there are other ingredients that can cause a 'browning' effect to clothing and human skin. It can also cause a rash if you get too much of it just like conventional processing chemicals.

 

It is called 'contact dermatitis.

 

Just be careful. It isn't anything to worry about if used as the manufacturer recommends.

 

Ron Mowrey

They are a hazard to infants. Don't leave them around where a baby can pick one up and put it in his/her mouth.