Early last year, I researched artist safety guidelines. Despite getting an art minor, I didn’t know very much about safety protocols or industrial hygiene. I was going pro and increasing my exposure to all these chemicals; I didn’t want to find out in two decades that I’d been poisoning myself. And I don’t want anyone else to accidentally hurt themselves, either. So here’s an overview of what I learned about how to safely use oil painting materials:
Pigments
Paints are made of two primary components: the colored pigment and the binder, usually linseed oil. Pigments are made of all sorts of things, and sometimes they’re toxic. Two examples of toxic pigments that artists used to use are lead white (replaced by titanium or zinc white) and cadmium red (replaced by cadmium red hue).
Don’t take for granted that the paints you are using aren’t toxic. Some artist-grade materials do still use questionable pigments, since it’s hard to study and regulate all of them. To identify the specific materials in your paints, you can request Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) and Color Index names and numbers from the manufacturer.
One of the main precautions to take with pigments is to use premixed paints. It is possible to order powdered pigments and grind them into your oil of choice, like the Old Masters did, but the powder can be all too easily inhaled. You’ll need the proper size and type of filter mask if you do choose to mix your own paints.
Accidental ingestion is the other main danger with pigments. You don’t want to find yourself licking paint off your fingers, right? So don’t eat, drink, or smoke in your studio, despite the temptation. It’s also important to avoid skin contact in general, either by wearing gloves/protective clothing or using barrier creams. Be sure to keep your studio clean and avoid raising dust. If you spill, mop or wipe it up right away.
All that said, pigments aren’t the usual cause for concern, since mostly you’ll buy paint in a tube and try not to finger paint or eat it. Solvents are a bigger danger, because it’s much easier to accidentally inhale their fumes.
Solvents
Most of the artist safety concerns with oil paint are really about solvents. As you probably know, solvents are used both for clean up and to dilute paint. But these chemicals can be dangerous, especially their fumes.
Each solvent is different, but some of the toxic effects can include skin, eye, and respiratory irritation or damage, as well as central nervous system problems, starting from dizziness and headaches to unconsciousness or even death (at high doses). I’ve experienced the dizziness and headaches myself. Chronic exposure, meanwhile, can result in memory loss, insomnia, and depression, among other psychological issues. Some solvents can penetrate the skin and damage internal organs, as well. Some may be carcinogens (Artist’s Guide).
That’s quite a scary list. So what can you do about it?
Solvent Safety Guidelines
The Artist’s Complete Health and Safety Guide offers us these nine tips:
1. Try to find replacements for solvent-containing products.
2. Use the least toxic solvent possible.
3. Insist on compliance with OSHA.
4. Avoid breathing vapors.
5. Avoid skin contact.
6. Protect eyes from solvents.
7. Protect against fire, explosion, and decomposition hazards.
8. Be prepared for spills.
9. Use and dispose of solvents in accordance with local or federal regulations.
The first and best solution for artist safety is to simply avoid solvents altogether. I myself am moving toward this approach. Though water-soluble oil paints exist, I’ve never tried them. Instead, I’m slowly switching to oils and solvent-free mediums.
For clean-up, I replaced solvent with safflower oil to clean brushes. Full disclosure: using the oil can be a little frustrating. I find that the safflower oil doesn’t remove paint as well as the solvent does, and the paint takes more time to separate to the bottom of the jar in the oil compared to the solvent.
When it comes to diluting paint, I will sometimes paint without solvent. Working fat over lean is important for the longevity and chemical structure of a painting, and solvent is lean. So I still use it in my bigger, more complex paintings, but not in my minis that I paint in one sitting. The downside to solvent-free painting is that if I’m not careful, the piece can get too shiny with oil. But I like my high-gloss varnishes anyway.
That’s the first option: go without. But what if you still want to use solvents? Then you start by picking one of the safest ones, like Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits, and have plenty of ventilation.
What makes one solvent safer than another? There are three things to look for: threshold limit value, flash point, and evaporation rate. The threshold limit value is the amount in parts per million of fumes that you can tolerate before getting adverse effects. A higher value is better. The flash point is the temperature at which the solvent will ignite. And the evaporation rate is—as you may guess—how fast the solvent evaporates into fumes and thus an estimate of how quickly you might experience symptoms.
For example, traditional turpentine evaporates much faster, has a lower flash point (90°F/32°C), and is therefore more toxic than regular odorless mineral spirits or Gamsol with its flash point of 145°F/63°C and three times slower evaporation rate. So don’t use turpentine. Use Gamsol or a comparable product.
To avoid breathing vapors, I open the window and turn on a fan on the other side of the room. (This is called dilution ventilation). In the winter, I admit to getting lazy and just daydreaming about an exhaust fan, which would be even better than a window and a fan, but I may soon invest in charcoal filter masks.
Notice that just like with pigments, it’s important to protect your skin. I use a barrier cream and avoid finger painting. Accidentally ingesting solvents is as terrible an idea as ingesting pigments, so I never eat or drink while I’m painting. I am guilty of eating at my desk, though, and it’s in the same room. I try, what can I say?
Disposal
A lot of the advice on disposal simply says to contact your local government. So I called the household hazardous waste facility and the environmental office in my hometown of Sioux Falls. They told me that paper towels soaked in solvent are fine to go to the landfill, but containers of liquid solvent need to be taken to the hazardous waste. Never pour solvents down the drain, or you might contaminate a water treatment plant or ground water. It’s fine to wash brushes in the sink, though. So if you’re in Sioux Falls, now you know! If you’re not, you should check your own local laws to be sure.
Prior to throwing soaked paper towels in the landfill, I put them in my oily materials waste can. It’s basically a self-closing trash can that reduces the risk of spontaneous combustion. The paper towels soaked in solvent and linseed oil are significantly more likely to ignite than the liquid alone, so it’s a smart precaution. If you’re a painter or garage tinkerer, you should get one. A safety can designed to hold used flammable liquid is a good idea, too, as is a flammable safety cabinet, but I have yet to invest in those. The cabinet is much more expensive, and I have no need yet to get rid of any solvent. Those are future plans.
I try to heed most of these guidelines, but I’m human and forgetful, too. How about you? Did you learn anything new about artist safety? Do you know any other tips that I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments below.
Safe and happy painting!
Further Reading/Sources
- The Artist’s Complete Health and Safety Guide (3rd Edition) by Monona Rossol
- How to paint without solvents.
- How to safely use solvents.
- The fat-over-lean principle, same as above