Clean seas, pure rivers, sweet rain.

Gary Holliday · May 17, 2007

Not an environmental rant, but I've just read the label on Rodinal and it states that Rodinal is dangerous to aquatic life. It even shows a diagram of a dead fish!

What are the nasty ingredients in Rodinal and what good developer alternatives are available?

jim appleyard · May 17, 2007

Yes, Rodinal would be dangerous to aquatic life if that life were to drink it directly. Rodinal is like other devs in this regard; nothing special about Rodinal, no more harmful, no less. However, by the time devs reach places that have aquatic life, they are already well diluted and in the process of breaking down.

Environmental harm is one reason many folks have gone digital. They forget about the zillions of ink-jet cartridges and dead digital cameras going to landfills.

Vaughn · May 17, 2007

My bottle says caustic potash (4.7%) and paraminophenol. Can't find a MSDS for paraminophenol. Phenols can be very toxic, but i don't think this particular derivative is particulary nasty -- can cause dermatitus.

Probably removes oxygen from water as it breaks down.

copake_ham · May 17, 2007

jim appleyard said:
......
Environmental harm is one reason many folks have gone digital. They forget about the zillions of ink-jet cartridges and dead digital cameras going to landfills.

The real issue is not the usage of the chemicals (or digi-gizmos) that is problemattic - it is irresponsible disposal afterwards.

Many communities have special haz/mat drop-off locations (or special days when such materials are collected) which will dispose of the spent chemistry in a safe and envrionmentally-benign manner. Disposal in this fashion is environmentally-conscientious and represents a "best practice" that should be encouraged.

AgX · May 17, 2007

That ecological aspect is one aspect (I dispose of used developer and bleaches/fixes) via the `special wast´ collection.
But there is that hygienic aspect too. I once poured some Tetenal Ultrafin concentrate over my fingers with as result itchy blisters. To be on the safe side consider all phenolic developing agents as skin irritating or allergy inducing.

George Papantoniou · May 18, 2007

I think that the big problem with chemicals and aquatic life is that fish cannot scratch themselves when they have an itch. They usually ask an octapus to do it for them (an octapus can scratch seven fishes and itself simultaneously) , but this can have disastrous results when the octapus is hungry.

Has anyone thought about the damage done by all the detergents and soaps and beauty products and drugs we all dump to the sea every single day of our miserable life ? Do you really think the bloody developer you use every now and then will make a difference ?

Akki14 · May 18, 2007

My hometown painted a bright yellow fish next to each storm drain to remind people where their toxic crap was going when they dumped it down there I can't believe people would just dump stuff into a storm drain, though. That doesn't necessarily get sent to a treatment plant.
Soap is bad to fish life because it breaks down surface tension which means the fish can't get oxygen from the water. I grow a plant full of saponins(unsurprisingly called Soapwort) and know you're not suppose to plant it near water because the saponins means it will kill aquatic life. Obviously is a bit different to developers, though, much closer to what us photographers feel is probably the least toxic stuff in our bottle collection - "photoflo".

AgX · May 18, 2007

George Papantoniou said:
Has anyone thought about the damage done by all the detergents and soaps and beauty products and drugs we all dump to the sea every single day of our miserable life?

Yes, I do.
I love swimming in that beautiful lake nearby accompanied by some ducks an a heron. But that lake is only fed by the outtake of a sewage installation my community is hooked at. Thus everytime I pour chemicals down my drain I know where it goes through. Enough reason for me to use that special waste collection.

Yes, I know that my lab chemicals are only a tiny portion and I know that many Apuggers would like to do the same but are not given the chance and I do not blame them for draining their stuff. And I don't blame the others either.

Robert T. McCarthy · May 18, 2007

If everyone switched to X-tol, "the world would be a better place".

Regards.

Bob

colrehogan · May 18, 2007

Vaughn said:
My bottle says caustic potash (4.7%) and paraminophenol. Can't find a MSDS for paraminophenol. Phenols can be very toxic, but i don't think this particular derivative is particulary nasty -- can cause dermatitus.

Probably removes oxygen from water as it breaks down.

Vaughn,
Try looking under p-aminophenol.

Diane

AgX · May 18, 2007

Perhaps that would make my swimming `+C´.

Actually Xtol contains still a phenolic developing agent.
It won't work in chromogenic processes either.

I'm not sure whether for amateur use chemicals to be `green´will still be a marketing advantage,

Vaughn · May 18, 2007

AgX said:
That ecological aspect is one aspect (I dispose of used developer and bleaches/fixes) via the `special wast´ collection.

We have permission to dump developer (Dektol and D-76) down the drain. The sewer folks don't mind it -- and they run a world-renown sewage-treatment facility that uses ponds, marshes and the bay as part of the system...and they seem pretty much on top of things.

Diane -- thanks for the "p-aminophenol". Found the MSDS...basically don't drink it, don't inhale it and try not to get in in your eyes and skin. But no special handling needed for disposal.

removed account4 · May 18, 2007

Akki14 said:
My hometown painted a bright yellow fish next to each storm drain to remind people where their toxic crap was going when they dumped it down there I can't believe people would just dump stuff into a storm drain, though. That doesn't necessarily get sent to a treatment plant.
Soap is bad to fish life because it breaks down surface tension which means the fish can't get oxygen from the water. I grow a plant full of saponins(unsurprisingly called Soapwort) and know you're not suppose to plant it near water because the saponins means it will kill aquatic life. Obviously is a bit different to developers, though, much closer to what us photographers feel is probably the least toxic stuff in our bottle collection - "photoflo".

i was walking home from work one day,
and there was the guy who worked at a nearby machine shop.

he was dumping glow in the dark green liquid down the storm drains
marked with a big yellow fish.

a few days later i was riding my bike around the corner from where i lived.
i was next to a car with its windows open. the lady
and kids in the car started to throw the garbage from her fast-food run out
the window ( infront of me ). i asked them nicely not to throw her trash
out the window. the mother then started to scream and yell things at me i
wouldn't want my kids to hear.

it is unfortunate that a lot of people don't care what they dump,
where they dump or how they dump ---

they just dump and let someone else deal with it.

Clean seas, pure rivers, sweet rain.

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