2/10/2024 0 Comments Darkroom chemicals![]() so It is as safe as developing film.ĭon't stick your hands in solutions and you should not develop skin irritations. Making color prints in a drum will be done in an open room,( daylight) Making prints in trays, can be more of a problem. You should have running water to rinse in case of an accidental spill. There is no reason to expose yourself to Ĭhemicals or smells if you are developing film ( onlY) Good ventilation and working in a large, well ventilated area is necessary. Some toners and other chemicals are listed as poisonĪny chemical exposure nicotine sulfate ( no longer sold as a bug spray. ![]() Or photo solutions often do not wear gloves or use tongs. Many people who develop" contact dermatitis" She can no longer go with us strawberry picking. ![]() Things, My niece went to the hospital when she cut anĪpple to feed the birds and it squirted in her eye. There are people who are terribly sensitive to natuaral Physical symptoms are usually a "too late" warning sign (don't be a human test kit) but, often people seem to worry about photochem, rather than getting the facts about their specific materials. ![]() Maybe you might get dishpan hands from getting wet solutions on you a lot really, just get the specific facts follow good lab practice and, maybe take a break. Wash your hands before and after keep your dry side electricity out of contact with your wet side solutions, and then probably your biggest hazard is don't slip and fall. In general, as long as you do not ingest, inject or inhale the photochemistry, the number of hazards you should encounter in a darkroom are negligible. No need to get spun up with worry just follow good lab practice, and review the data sheets and MSDS for facts. Some of the chemicals are very poisonous others are so harmless that you may come into contact with them (in a different form) every day without realizing it (some salts, for example). While I have never had any problems, I would encourage you to be safe, healthy and comfortable. Photo developing is not a toughman contest. Most of the time, simply washing your hands and stepping out into a well ventilated area for awhile is a good idea. Safety-wise, I'd say, regardless if what you are using is inherently hazardous or not, if you ever experience any kind of physical symptoms, it's time to take a break from the lab. An MSDS on the chemistry can give you the facts. Look up some of the chem threads here Lex usually has a link to one of the Kodak tech pubs that are very good. I am quite passionate about talking with other photographers about the dangers of darkroom work. If you have trouble with breathing or dizzyness, then replace chemicals with different ones until you are comfortable working around them. I never mix dry chemicals if I can help it, and if I do, I always wear a mask and goggles. I'm very methodical about keeping a clean environment and how I handle processing, and clean up after wards. I never touch chemicals with bare skin any more, and wash well if I do, and afterwards. I use Ilford stop and fix, which have far less odor. I quit using the darkroom for about 8 years, then eased back into it using safer chemicals. I would love to see some sort of study, because you can't draw conclusions without enough samples, but I think the rates would be revealing. I cannot correlate the darkroom work with the cancer, but every single other photographer friend, except one (and he didn't do that much work) had cancer around that time (and even battling it now). I always had trouble with asthma and breathing fixer. I was doing seriously long stints in the darkroom for about the 10 years prior. Be sure that you are using everything as directed and you should be able to minimize the risk of problems.Ībout 20 years ago (when I was pretty young), I contracted cancer. Any chemicals, including common household cleaning products, can be harmful or fatal if improperly used. I use developer and fixer that have very little to no odor, and water as a stop bath. I use a bathroom at home for both developing and printing and have no problems with odors with the products that I use, even for long periods of developing and printing (4 hours or more). Since you are working at home, I suggest that once you load the reels into the can and close the lid you open the door where you are working and perhaps turn on a fan to force fresh air into your workspace. There are a wide variety of low/no odor chemicals out there, so there is no reason to use those that do have odors that affect you. If you don't feel well after working in the darkroom you should try to a)get better ventilation, and b) change the chemicals you are using to something else.
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