Rodinal Poisioning ?

Ok, here it is ....

 

I'm 35 and in (was) in good health.

 

About 3 months ago I developed peripheral neuropathy, numb toes, finders

forearms, then came my face and tounge, Tremors after, it shows up on nerve

conduction tests and and EMG big time.

 

AND Going from an honest 120wpm to 40wpm typing , along with losing 20 lbs.

 

I was tested for everything under the sun including diabetes and heavy metal

poisioning, zilch.

 

Now , this all started 3 days AFTER I got my first lot of Rodinal , I had

never before used it. About 3 days after spending all weekend in the darkroom

I got a funny taste in my mouth, like salty metal. Im a hands in the soup

kinda guy, but I never thought 3 days later I would have this taste so I never

related them.

 

Basically I was too sick for the better part of 2 months to spend anytime in

the darkroom.

 

 

2 weeks ago I felt well enough to finish some film I hadnt done yet.

 

Guess what, that odd taste that had gone away about 3 weeks earlier, came back

3 days to the button AFTER I Did the film, (on Wed.) But after I printed

(Dektol maybe ?)

 

And sure enough I started feeling the pins and needles only getting wors, it

was MUCH milder this time (the first time I was in there 30 hrs + over 3 days

solid), this time only about 2 hours.

 

Has ANYONE else heard of or experienced such strangness ?

 

I have been working with D76 for a long time, and Dektol, no problems, but 3

months ago was the first time I used the Rodinal , I did some reading and the

Rodinal has some nasties that have very high skin absorbsion and can certainly

casue these symptoms.

 

In a way I am as happy as a clam (other than the fact I love the Rodinal) I

was starting to Panic I had MS, ALS or hell something worse, poisoning myself

if OK, at least I know what it was and to stay away from it.

 

I have had lead poisioning 3 times and Copper poisioning once, all over 10

years ago +, so maybe my nervous system was more prone to the neuropathy.

 

Like I said , anyone else ever get the taste ? Or other problems ,

specifically from Rodinal , or Dektol ?

 

 

Thanks

 

Chris

Whoa, that is wild. Sorry to hear it. Maybe some rubber gloves, assuming you MUST work with Rodinal.

BTW, I've been using Rodinal for over 7 years with no taste or problems I can tell. Nor with D-76, HC-110, Microdol-X, Microphen, DiXactol and Exactol Lux.

Do you have adequate ventilation in your darkroom?

 

Ten hour sessions can't be good for you, even with ventilation. Rethink your work habits.

 

Hope you feel better.

...Crazy, and sad for you... I hope you'l feel better! I've already had a metalic salty taste in the mouth, using almost all developer, when I putted my fingers in my mouth for any reason when developping... This describe the taste of many developer... I know rodinal is highly concentrated and poisonous but I've never been drinking it straight... I also know people that have problem with chemicals and they must wear a mask and gloves, also in b+w... Protect yourself well, please... Good luck...

You were tested for everything under the sun EXCEPT Rodinal components? Perhaps you should revisit the doctor with the recipe for Rodinal. It's on the 'net.

 

Did you ever notice that used Rodinal looks just like Guinness under safelight? Not funny. Sorry.

MSDS is here:

 

http://intranet.risd.edu/envirohealth_msds/RISDStore/AgfaRodinal.pdf

 

p-Aminophenol is not a commonly used developing agent. There isn't any in Dektol or D-76. You may have a chemical sensitivity to it.

While it is certainly possible, Rodinal is one of the oldest developers still available commercialy and I've never heard of anyone having problems with it. I've used it since I first started developing film and never seen any signs of problems, but that's just me.

 

There have been many comments from people who have had problems with metol, but most of those issues are from long term exposure, and it has been reported that those problems were due to contamination in the metol rather than the metol itself, but to be completely honest, with your medical history I would be more diligent about wearing gloves when using chemicals. Anytime you have a prior history of chemical sensitivity, you should use every precaution to prevent future problems...

 

- Randy

Make sure you have your liver and kidney functions checked: One of the components of Rodinol is a form of Tylenol, which is toxic to those organs.

It sounds like you may have a sensitivity to para-aminophenol. When you next see your doctor (and you should!) you should mention this to him/her. Chemically it's a precursor to the active ingredient of Tylenol, but I wouldn't call it a "form" of Tylenol.

I'm sorry to hear this and hope you get better.

 

When I was about 30, I got cancer and believed strongly it could be related to so much darkroom work. I was also working with some nasty chemistry for home-darkroom color, like Cibachrome and toners. I always souped with bare hands.

 

Only a few years ago I hesitantly got back into my own darkroom work again. I use a lot of the Ilford products (I have a bit of asthma and the fixer and stop don't screw me up the way other products do), I always wear gloves, and work in VERY well ventilated areas.

 

I tell all my friends: don't take darkroom work lightly. Always protect your body against chemical exposure.

Your system may be sensitized to several lists of chemistries after your earlier saturations! I offer my sympathy and recommend you work with better ventilation, shorter sessions, protective gear, and please read "Ultra-Prevention" by Dr. Mark Hyman. He has experienced some of your health issues with severe lead & mercury poisoning and offers some sage advice and a detox plan. This book has changed my life for the better! Several other colleagues have done the full detox program and are tremendously rejuvenated! BTW: I am not a medical professional nor a practicing healthnut-case! Whatever, DO NOT postpone dealing with your body's warning signs! . . .and don't assume your current clinic is up-to-speed on all the crap residing in your body.

As a Ph/D chemist and a sometime lab safety officer I'd definitely suggest wearing gloves when dealing with any developer (and indeed any chemical solutions).

 

Long term chronic exposure to anything can be bad and it's quite possible to develop (no pun intended) sensitivity to chemicals that you've never had trouble with before.

 

"I've been soaking my hands in X for 20 years and I'm OK" isn't really the standard you want to use for chemical safety! It's a bit like being told by someone "I've been smoking 50 cigarettes a day for 20 years and I don't have lung cancer". That doesn't mean smoking is safe.

I stopped dunking my hands into trays of chemicals a long time ago. I purchased nitrile gloves from Gemplers because the last thing you need while trying to reduce exposure to chemicals it a reaction to latex.

 

Over time, large users of photo chemicals have changed their formulas and if digital photography didn't come when it did, stricter regulations of photo chemicals would have anyway. One of the reasons originally given for Kodak's introduction of X-tol was that phenidone/ascorbate developers are less hazardous than metol/hydroquinone or phenidone/hydroquinone formulas. I have used Patrick Gainer's PC-TEA formula with success. It is made up of phenidone, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and triethanolamine. If you use a little care in making it up you will have a versatile and long lasting developer which is safe to work with. You will get excellent sharpness but without as much grain as Rodinal. I am more concerned about handling Rodinal stock then I am about handling a 1:50 working solution.

 

Some people use stop bath for film and others don't. If you use it for film then you should consider a product made from citric acid rather than one made from aceitic acid. Clayton's Odorless Stop Bath is good for film or paper and is safe to use. For fixer I would consider Clayton's Odorless Fixer. What about paper developer? You can make up a phenidone based paper developer and even one along the lines of PC-TEA. You can get good results without handling the most hazardous chemicals and certainly without using ones with dreadful smells. If all else fails you might consider using the PC-TEA for your film, scanning the negatives and printing them digitally. This way you can still enjoy using film and your film equipment.

I would go to your doctor ASAP with the MSDS sheets for anything that you use in your darkroom -- rodinal, dektol, any other chemicals, toners (selenium!), etc. By the way, how have you had lead poisoning 3 times? Be careful!!! :-D

A slam-dunk tort action and the defendant's bankrupt. Double bummer.

Lead and Copper can highly damage liver and, perhaps, your liver can't eliminate some products that a "normal" liver would do without problems.

I'd go to the doctor to check if your liver and kidneys are working properly... and, on the other hand, if after being poisoned with lead and copper, you don't wear gloves in your darkroom, I'd seriously consider to abandon traditional photography or, at least, contract the services of a professional laboratory... your life is more important than your work!