Are you "afraid" of the chemicals.?

[trendland]

Sensitivities can easily become lethal. There is a tipping point. I've known lab owners who couldn't even enter their own business without ending up in an ambulance due to a builfup in RA4 sensitivity over the years. Some lab folk ended up having substantial amounts of scar tissue removed from their lungs due to excessive exposure to Ciba bleach (H2SO4 - not exactly benign!) I heard the same line over and over again in this University, Biotech, and Pharmaceutical town, "I've worked wish hit fer yearsh an yersh an it hashn't hurt me a bit", as their hands trembled and their faces looked like masks. Some of them never made it to their mid 50's. MSDS sheets have a purpose, and so do gloves. Besides, they're easier to rinse off than skin and contaminate something adjacent. Most ordinary b&w sink tray chem is mild, but not necessarily everything we use. As for anyone who puts their bare fingers into color chem .... you might end up really regretting it someday.

It is allways (and most efectiv) in concern to the time of exposition.
With some exeptions of cause - for example : alergenic reaktions cause from a first contact.
And yes indeed some alergic reactions
may end your live within some minutes :
alergic schock !
But in the very most cases this bad trouble is caused not from chems.
As far as I know it is more seen in concern of biological alergenics.
One example often stated : Strawberrys!
(That is indeed no joke).
Deseases caused from darkroom ade in direct concern of exposition time AND dosis. So the danger is indeed to people
who worked to decades in comercial labs.
The less danger is therefore from private darkrooms.And the very least risk is in private darkrooms with minimal toxic chems during short time and most effective security workflow in addition.
So it is very relative - But in general concern : NOBODY HAS TO BE AFFRAID !

with regards

 

[trendland]

It is allways (and most efectiv) in concern to the time of exposition.
With some exeptions of cause - for example : alergenic reaktions cause from a first contact.
And yes indeed some alergic reactions
may end your live within some minutes :
alergic schock !
But in the very most cases this bad trouble is caused not from chems.
As far as I know it is more seen in concern of biological alergenics.
One example often stated : Strawberrys!
(That is indeed no joke).
Deseases caused from darkroom ade in direct concern of exposition time AND dosis. So the danger is indeed to people
who worked to decades in comercial labs.
The less danger is therefore from private darkrooms.And the very least risk is in private darkrooms with minimal toxic chems during short time and most effective security workflow in addition.
So it is very relative - But in general concern : NOBODY HAS TO BE AFFRAID !

with regards

Sorry I forget a part : If you give up to smoke cigarettes and to compensate this you start a private darkroom with some critical chems you will longer your live to some years in general.
But this method will not work realy good
if you don't come to a decision to drink much less whisky paralel. ....

with regards

 

[DREW WILEY]

I don't need to be told about sensitivities. I have a family member for whom even tiny amounts of sodium sulfite are potentially lethal. It's a common preservative used in fast-food salads and US bottled wines, not just in the darkroom. Maybe 20,000 people in the US have that same sensitivity. My wife now works in that field of medicine. I'm personally allergic to digital cameras.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I don't need to be told about sensitivities. I have a family member for whom even tiny amounts of sodium sulfite are potentially lethal. It's a common preservative used in fast-food salads and US bottled wines, not just in the darkroom. Maybe 20,000 people in the US have that same sensitivity. My wife now works in that field of medicine. I'm personally allergic to digital cameras.

Alas so am I.

 

[darkroommike]

I don't need to be told about sensitivities. I have a family member for whom even tiny amounts of sodium sulfite are potentially lethal. It's a common preservative used in fast-food salads and US bottled wines, not just in the darkroom. Maybe 20,000 people in the US have that same sensitivity. My wife now works in that field of medicine. I'm personally allergic to digital cameras.

Sulfites, mostly sodium sulfite, but also bisulfites, metabisulfites abound in darn near every phase of darkroom chemistry, I've read a lot of instances in food but had no idea that these sorts could be deadly.

 

[darkroommike]

For folks that are "afraid of chemicals" in the darkroom I suggest you find another hobby and don't read the ingredients on the stuff in your bathroom, laundry, and under the kitchen sink, some of that stuff is truly deadly. No disrespect intended but you will not enjoy your darkroom if you are constantly in fear. I respect the chemicals I use and have researched the SDS (where the heck did the M go in MSDS BTW?) but I am not in fear, some stuff I just refuse to use or compound myself. That also goes for electrical, anything I buy, I inspect for good cords, etc. and I am putting GCI (and where did the F go in GFCI?) outlets into the darkroom as part of my fall darkroom "makeover".

I also use power tools, by no means a master carpenter or furniture maker, but here again is an area where you need to respect your tools. A well known "tool guy", Jimmy Diresta, nearly lost some fingers not long ago, but he rarely uses tool guards and was in a bit of a hurry. And Norm Abrams fell off a scaffold a few years back, while working on his own house. Icy day. every one in a hurry to do the tree ceremony for the framing completion.

 

[Sirius Glass]

For folks that are "afraid of chemicals" in the darkroom I suggest you find another hobby and don't read the ingredients on the stuff in your bathroom, laundry, and under the kitchen sink, some of that stuff is truly deadly. No disrespect intended but you will not enjoy your darkroom if you are constantly in fear. I respect the chemicals I use and have researched the SDS (where the heck did the M go in MSDS BTW?) but I am not in fear, some stuff I just refuse to use or compound myself. That also goes for electrical, anything I buy, I inspect for good cords, etc. and I am putting GCI (and where did the F go in GFCI?) outlets into the darkroom as part of my fall darkroom "makeover".

I also use power tools, by no means a master carpenter or furniture maker, but here again is an area where you need to respect your tools. A well known "tool guy", Jimmy Diresta, nearly lost some fingers not long ago, but he rarely uses tool guards and was in a bit of a hurry. And Norm Abrams fell off a scaffold a few years back, while working on his own house. Icy day. every one in a hurry to do the tree ceremony for the framing completion.

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1969 I needed an electric saw. So I went to the Sears in Santa Monica. I was looking at tools and a salesman who was missing three fingers came up and asked me if he could help me. I asked, "Do you have any hammers?". I never did buy a power saw.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I'm retired now, but not long ago I was one of the top power tool gurus in the country, and generally don't trust anything unless it's made in Germany, Japan, or the USA. There are specific exceptions. But no alleged US Brand really makes things here anymore, and the quality is awful. Makita and Bosch do have large US factories, but are privately owned foreign companies. I recently returned from a long backpack and photo trip in the high country, and found out one of my old office areas had an electrical fire. There was no structural damage to the building itself, but millions of dollars worth of smoke and merchandise damage. I warned the new guys over and over not to trust imported ext cords or outlet strips around equipment. And gosh knows how many lectures I had to give about chemicals, some of which are now banned worldwide.

 

[norm123]

I always use my hands for everything except toning where I use rubber gloves. I don't have problem with Metol or Hydroquinone, fix or HCA. Now, I don't use stop bath, but, in the past, yes and I used my hands too.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Even routine contact with plain hot water can ironically dessicate your skin by removing oils, leading to dermatitis and itchiness. It's happened to workers in wash-off processes like carbon printing.

 

[Wayne]

No. I treat them with care, avoid the most toxic ones altogether, and have dipped my hands in all the others since before I was 10. I've used gloves now for 20 years, but I don't go crazy. If I need to grab something out of a tray I'll grab it without a hint of "fear", and I always use good ventilation.