ACUTE &
CHRONIC ILLNESS
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 | Skin cancer - not as dangerous as other types of cancers, except melanomas. May be caused by lamp black. Repeated skin contact with lamp black can lead to skin cancer due to impurities. |
| Lung cancer - caused by inhalation of heavy metal fumes, arsenic oxide, asbestos, and many pigments. There is a synergistic effect combining these toxins with cigarette smoking. Airbrushing is particularly bad because the paint particles are broken down into very fine solids that are then aspirated into the lungs. |
| Bladder cancer - caused by the inhalation or ingestion of benzedine dyes. |
| Leukemia - caused by benzene/benzol. |
| Liver cancer - caused by inhalation of vinyl chloride |
| Nickel - Nickel compounds cause a high degree of skin allergies ("nickel itch"), skin irritations and ulcers, and is an ey irritant. Inhalation of nickel dust may lead to lung and nasal cancer. It isn't clear whether all nickel compounds cause cancer. Inhalation can cause upper respiratory irritation. Acute ingestion or inhilation causes intestinal disorders and irritation. top of page |
Skin Irritations and Allergies
| Direct skin irritation - a primary skin irritation caused by a strong primary irritant such as solvents and acids. Can damage the underlying skin and penetrate protective barriers after a single exposure. |
| MANY TOXINS IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS ALWAYS DAMAGE SKIN AND CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. |
| Dermatitis - caused from prolonged or repeated exposures to toxins. |
| Skin allergies - not everyone is susceptible. Some toxins may cause allergic contact dermatitis such as epoxies, many tropical woods, formaldehyde, nickel compounds, turpentine, photography developers, and vermilion. Allergic contact dermatitis doesn't develop when a person is first exposed. Exposure may continue for many years before an allergy develops. However, once and allergy develops, the body will react to even small amount of the sensitizer, often for years or even permanently WHETHER SENSITIZER IS USED OR NOT. Nickel compounds cause a high frequency of skin allergies ("nickel itch"), skin irritations and ulcers, and eye irritation. top of page |
| Deep, slow healing ulcers |
| Change in skin pigmentation |
| Folliculitus - caused by bacterial infection of blocked hair follicles, oil glands, and sweat pores from oils, waxes, tars, and chlorinated hydrocarbons (solvents and oil paint bases) |
| EASILY PREVENTED BY WASHING OFTEN WITH SOAP AND WATER |
| top of page |
Respiratory Damage and Disease
| Many gases are so irritating to tissues that a single exposure to even small amounts can cause injury. Included in this list are turpentine and solvents. The part of the system injured depends upon how soluble the material is in water. Insolubles are more dangerous. Poorly soluble gases affect the lower respiratory system, including the air sacs, because gases reach deeper into lungs before dissolving into the lung lining. The effect is usually insidious and can lead to pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). |
| Some gases (such as Dutch Mordant preparation) affect upper and lower lungs in even small amounts. Gases and vapors dissolve in the lungs to injure the lung tissue the way acid injures the skin! |
| Pneumonia is possible because fluid in the lungs provides an ideal growth medium for bacteria. |
| Respiratory allergies can develop from the use of many woods, bone, ivory and shell dusts, fiber-reactive dyes, formaldehyde, and turpentine. |
| Hypersensitivity pneumonia (a form of allergy) is caused by redwood and some maple dusts, stored sugarcane fibers, moldy cork dust, many feathers, sawdust, and moldy hay or grain (bacteria or mold allergies). Fibrosis may develop. |
| Metal fume fever is caused by exposure to freshly formed metal fumes - zinc, copper, and iron - from welding and metal casting. Flu symptoms appear a few hours after exposure and disappear in 24-36 hours. Complete recovery expected. |
| Chronic bronchitis results in a narrowing of air passages and leads to increased difficulty in breathing. Repeated infections are due to excess phlegm buildup and can result in emphysema. There is a synergistic effect with smoking. Death can occur in either advanced bronchitis or emphysema from fatal infections or from failure of the respiratory system to provide enough oxygen for the body to survive. |
| Brown lung is often fatal and is caused by inhalation of cotton, flax, and hemp dusts. |
| Pneumoconiosis occurs when lung tissue reacts to the accumulation of dust in the lungs. |
| Pulmonary fibrosis (lung scarring) occurs after years of exposure to dusts such as asbestos, silica (including quartz, many stones, and clay), coal, talc, and soapstone. Often fatal from oxygen starvation. |
| Silicosis, talcosis, and black lung are caused by asbestos. top of page |
| The heart may be damaged by barium and cobalt compounds, nicotine, solvents, physical stress, heat, noise, vibrations, and conditions forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood. Effects are worsened if blood must be pumped through narrowed blood vessels of lungs that have lung scarring damage. top of page |
| Repeated exposure to even small amounts can destroy bone marrow, causing aplastic anemia (lack of white blood cells and blood-clotting platelets. Exposure to even very small amounts of benzene can also cause leukemia. top of page |
| Jaundice is one symptom of liver damage and will usually heal without lasting damage except in severe cases when cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver can result. Some damaging materials include, ethyl alcohol, chlorinated hydrocarbons, cadmium, solvents, lead, and arsenic. top of page |
| Damage can be severe enough to block urination and cause accumulation of fluids and poisons in the blood (uremia). This can result in coma and death. Can be caused by acute exposure to oxalic acid, turpentine, lead compounds, and mercury, as well as others. |
| Chronic kidney disease can be caused by chronic cadmium poisoning, long-term exposure to many metals (e.g. uranium, lead, cadmium, arsenic, lithium, and chromium), solvents (e.g. turpentine, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and carbon disulfides), and oxalic acid and its salts. top of page |
| The nervous system can be damaged by lead, mercury, manganese, pesticides, and more. Nerve function is altered or destroyed. |
| Brain damage results from oxygen starvation caused by using improperly vented carbon monoxide, acetylene, and carbon dioxide gases. |
| MOST SOLVENTS CAUSE DEPRESSION OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Symptoms include feeling "high", fatigue, dizziness, impairment of physical coordination, mental confusion, sleepiness, and nausea. Very high levels can result in coma and sometimes death. With some solvents symptoms disappear after exposure removal. Some chronic diseases may result from repeated exposure. |
| Methyl butyl ketene is present in some aerosol sprays and is recently found to have caused paralysis of arms and legs of factory printers. |
| Lead causes "wrist drop" which is paralysis of the nerves controlling the wrist muscles. top of page |
| Mutagens cause genetic damage to sperm and eggs resulting in mutations. Even low exposures can cause mutations. Commonly results in spontaneous abortion of pregnancy and birth defects that can be passed on from generation to generation. Most mutagens are known from animal studies only. |
| ANY AMOUNT OF EXPOSURE IS RISKY AND ARTISTS CANNOT SAFELY WORK WITH THESE MATERIALS! ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE IS ALSO A CONSIDERATION. |
Teratogens
| Teratogens cause fetal damage. Respiratory hazards are particularly dangerous because a pregnant woman's metabolism differs from normal. Teratogens can cause severe birth defects and frequent miscarriages. Some hazards include thalidomide, metals (lead, copper, and cadmium), organic solvents (benzene, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and carbon disulfide), carbon monoxide, anesthetic gases, and aspirin. |
| Some carcinogens can cause cancer in the children of women exposed during pregnancy. top of page |
| 3 main categories: effects prior to pregnancy, during pregnancy, and effects on the newborn infant and child. |
| May affect both men and women by causing: impotence/loss of sex drive, lowered fertility, and genetic damage. |
| Women may experience menstrual disorders. |
| Men may develop testes and prostate cancer. |
| Lead may cause menstrual disorders, loss of sex drive, atrophy of the testes, possible sperm alterations, decrease in fertility, and mutation. |
| Carbon disulfide affects both male and female reproductive systems. |
| Xylol and tulol cause menstrual disorders. |
| Cadmiums cause prostate cancer. |
| Breast-feeding: Some chemicals (such as methylene chloride) have been shown to be present in breast milk for up to 17 (seventeen) hours after exposure. |
| Some children of lead workers have lead poisoning from lead carried home on father's cloths. |
| Protection: One major problem is that most chemicals, including art materials, haven't been tested to see if they cause mutations before pregnancy or damage to a fetus. In addition, pregnant women usually don't know for several weeks if they are pregnant and the first twelve weeks of pregnancy are the most important. top of page |