fumes, toxicity, etc.

[chris_jordan]

Hey folks,

 

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I was reading the post about Yaakov Asher Sinclair's darkroom ventilation difficulties, and was wondering if someone knows which chemicals specifically (developer, stop, fix) seem to present the greatest hazards? Any doctors or chemists out there? thanks!

 

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Chris

[walter_glover]

Chris,

 

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Pyro and its associates plus Selenium would have to be close to

the top of the list. The book "Over Exposure", which I no longer

have, is a concise listing of the hazards of photographic

chemistry.

 

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WG

[ken_burns1]

Chris:

 

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I am neither a doctor nor a chemist. I would recommend that you

first develop an understanding of the levels of toxic hazards we

encounter by the different routes of exposure in our darkrooms. The

first thing to do is obtain the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for

each of the chemicals or chemical solutions you use. They are

available from the manufacturer/distributor. The MSDS is not a cure-

all, but it is, at least, a starting point. They cover the hazards

involved by the different routes of exposure when a chemical is used

individually.

[bill_jefferson]

Hi All, My answer would be to anyone, "All chemicals posess a hazzard

in the darkroom environment"

[dk_thompson]

In addition to the MSDS sheets, the manufacturer's themselves often

offer quite a bit of information. Here's the link to kodak's

environmental site, there are some great publications on here as pdf

files that deal with lab design & safety.

 

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http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/environment/kes/photolab/index.shtml

 

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Years ago the NPPA had a publication called "Making Darkrooms

Saferooms" that covered alot of this type of material. They broke down

the chemicals commonly used and the haszards and routes of

entry/exposure. The "Over Exposure" book, and "Artist Beware" books

are pretty intensive, but another view is Dr. Richard Henry's

"Controls in B&W Photography" by Focal Press. A great book on

ventilation, that's probably available at most libraries, is

"Ventilation:A Practical Guide."

 

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I know it might be a pain for the average person, but we have to have

a copy of all the MSDS sheets for a given area posted. There are

multiple sets of the sheets for other areas as well, like security

stations. This is all part of "hazard communication" plan. Those

notebooks of MSDS sheets do come in handy, you can never be too

careful around chemicals.

 

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One more thing to remember is that everyone reacts differently to

exposure...

[scott walton]

Chris, the pungentness of Kodak's Indicator Stop would be bothersome in

an unventilated darkroom. It tends to irritate the nasal and mucous

membranes. Citric Acid is almost odor free and works as well. When you

get into Platinum Printing and other alternative process, they can be a

bit more lethal.

Cheers

[gary_frost1]

I would suggest eliminating the use of open trays as much as

possible for those concerned about fumes and ventilation. Use a

slot processor or drums. I use a Jobo with Lift and also have good

ventilation but many times the exhaust fan is not on for the first

few hours in the darkroom. All chemicals are sealed in bottles, then

into the lift/drum and finally through a hose to a 5 gallon jug.

Never exposed to air, this works extremely well for controlling fumes.