But, the evidence is indisputable! I've been an artist and teacher for many years, and I've seen a tremendous change in awareness of the environmental and health hazards of the materials we use in creating art. Case studies have shown that artists working in their studios can develop dermatitis, silicosis, liver and kidney damage, nerve damage, reproductive problems, carbon monoxide poisoning and other ailments, to name a few. Artists are exposed to the same chemicals that affect workers in industry.
National concern for workers' health and safety in industry resulted in the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), which established regulations that the "employer shall furnish ... employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards." This general goal provided the foundation for complex regulatory structures which were designed to provide written communication to all workers about potentially hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
Unfortunately many artist studios do not comply with the law because of the generally held belief that OSHA rules apply only to industry and that making art is not an industrial process.
FOR MORE INFORMATION |
Contact:
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
100 Barr Harbor Dr.
West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959
(610) 832-9500
Arts and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI)
100 Boylston St., Ste. 1050
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 426-6400
Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety (ACTS)
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012
(212) 777-0062
Center for Safety in the Arts (CSA)
5 Beckman St.
New York, NY 10038
(212) 227-6220
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Identifying the problem
Some progress has been made to reduce the danger in the studio. Uranium compounds have been removed from paints, lead has been removed from most ceramic glazes, asbestos is being removed from clays and benzene has been eliminated from paint removers.
In the early 1980s, a voluntary labeling standard requiring warning labels about chronic hazards was developed under the auspices of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and at the same time the Arts and Creative Materials Institute began labeling its products. In 1988, Congress passed the Labeling of Hazardous Materials Act to enter ASTM D-4236 into law and required the Consumer Product Safety Commission to define a "chronic hazard." The result was a much improved labeling system, with the requirement that all manufacturers include a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) with all products that posed potential health hazards.
What can you do?
Identifying all the possible health hazards in the art profession is beyond the scope of any individual artist, but you can identify the materials you use in your work and can become aware of potential hazards, if any. There are a number of things that you can do immediately.
1. Contact the Department of Labor in your state and find out which laws apply to you. Also ask for a written guideline. Most of these are clearly written, and provide step-by-step instructions on what to look for in the workplace and what needs to be done to correct any problems.
2. Make an inventory of all workplace chemicals and materials.
3. Identify hazardous products by reading the labels and listing all ingredients. For instance, one of my cans of spray paint contained toluene and acetone, with a warning that read: "This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm."
4. Assemble Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all potentially hazardous products. Write or call manufacturers and obtain a copy of their MSDS if one is not included with the product. Refuse to buy products that do not include a MSDS.
5. Check all labels to see if they comply with the law. The label should read: "Conforms to ASTM D-4236 Standards."
6. Label all containers into which chemicals have been transferred.
7. Check the MSDS to see if any process such as heating or mixing can cause toxic emissions.
8. Investigate whether some hazardous products can be replaced with non-toxic products. Many art materials still contain hazardous chemicals that are unnecessary because adequate substitutes are available. For example, flake white in oil paints can easily be replaced with zinc white or titanium white. Eliminate cadmium in low-melting silver solders, asbestos in clays and lead compounds. Contact the manufacturer and see if they have a replacement product that is not hazardous.
9. Make a list of safety procedures and products that could be used in your studio. Check out ventilation, heating, cooling, dust control, etc.
Become an informed customer
There are several good reference books available on health and safety hazards for artists. My first choice is The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide, second edition, by Monona Rossol. This is co-published by Allworth Press and the Americans for the Arts. Rossol covers a complete range of topics including safety regulations, analysis of raw materials, hazards and special concerns for artists using different mediums, ventilation, respiratory protection and more.
My second recommendation is Health Hazards for Artists, fourth edition, by Michael McCann, published by Lyons and Burford (212-620-9580). This book contains good information and a list of the occupational Health Clinics in every state.
There are also two organizations that will provide information and help. The Center for Safety in the Arts (CSA) is a national resource center for research and education on the hazards of art and craft materials. Due to funding cutbacks over recent years, CSA can no longer respond to telephone or written inquiries or requests for information. However, CSA publishes Art Hazards News (see "Health and Safety Resource Guide" ), and operates a Web site (http://artswire.org:70/1/csa), which features data sheets on art hazards and related information, lists of books on art hazards and back issues of Art Hazards News, as well as links to other online health and safety sites.
Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety (ACTS) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing a variety of health and safety services for artists. (Monona Rossol, author of The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide, is the founder and president of ACTS and editor of ACTS Facts, the organization's monthly newsletter (see "Health and Safety Resource Guide").
The bottom line is that as an artist -- and especially if you're self-employed -- you need to look out for yourself. Many artists shrug off the idea, for various reasons, of examining the materials and products they use and considering any potential hazardous consequences. But there are simple, reasonable alternatives that can produce the same creative effect, but without hazardous side effects.
Become aware of your workplace and the hazards it might contain. As an artist and a teacher it is my responsibility to be aware of potential hazards in my classroom and my studio, but I know there are still additional health and safety hazards of which I need to be aware. Your goal should be to keep up with current health and safety recommendations and regulations so that you can continue doing what you love -- without concern.
Dr. Brian T. Jefferson is a professor at the School of Art and Design at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga., and is the author of Profitable Crafts Marketing: A Complete Guide to Successful Selling, published by Timber Press.
