Kodak Film Fixer got on pots and pan, when doing home developing. how should I clean this to use for food consumption?

2film · Apr 26, 2022

Hey everyone, so Im a noob at Film developing and I was just working on my first role of film when I realized that I was not being smart for pouring my used fixer down my sink drain with some of my pots and pans in the sink. common since was not working today!

my question is can I clean this stuff that was still in the sink and use it for cooking/ eating on?

has this happened to anyone else?

my assumption is that this could be cleaned off like anything else, with soap and water. because a lot of people have pored fixer down there kitchen sinks then after cleaning them continue to use the sink for normal use.

Pieter12 · Apr 26, 2022

I wouldn't.

2film · Apr 26, 2022

Pieter12 said:
I wouldn't.

thanks

cjbecker · Apr 26, 2022

I would just wash it off and not do it again. Thats just me tho.

2film · Apr 26, 2022

cjbecker said:
I would just wash it off and not do it again. Thats just me tho.

thanks. Im not sure how the chemicals react to metal so I tossed most of the stuff in sink.

MattKing · Apr 26, 2022

The chemicals in fixer are also used in fertilizer and swimming pools.
Most of the film developing equipment in the world is made out of metal - primarily stainless steel I would think..
If the pots and pans were stainless steel, go get them out of the garbage and just clean them reasonably thoroughly.
If they are something like an old, highly seasoned cast iron frying pan, I'd be worried about getting fixer into the seasoning, but otherwise that pan should also be fine if thoroughly cleaned (and re-seasoned, of course).
Teflon or other non-stick coatings - who knows?
If you are going to use your kitchen - I do - just know that you need to set it up to make cleaning up afterwards easy. Leaving food preparation stuff around while you work there makes that really difficult.
Ingesting black and white film development or paper development chemicals is not a very good idea. But those chemicals are of similar toxicity as a lot of household chemicals, including many that are used to clean kitchens.
I would be a lot more worried about spilling dishwasher detergent on my pots and pans than I would about spilling fixer on my pots and pans.

2film · Apr 26, 2022

MattKing said:
The chemicals in fixer are also used in fertilizer and swimming pools.
Most of the film developing equipment in the world is made out of metal - primarily stainless steel I would think..
If the pots and pans were stainless steel, go get them out of the garbage and just clean them reasonably thoroughly.
If they are something like an old, highly seasoned cast iron frying pan, I'd be worried about getting fixer into the seasoning, but otherwise that pan should also be fine if thoroughly cleaned (and re-seasoned, of course).
Teflon or other non-stick coatings - who knows?
If you are going to use your kitchen - I do - just know that you need to set it up to make cleaning up afterwards easy. Leaving food preparation stuff around while you work there makes that really difficult.
Ingesting black and white film development or paper development chemicals is not a very good idea. But those chemicals are of similar toxicity as a lot of household chemicals, including many that are used to clean kitchens.
I would be a lot more worried about spilling dishwasher detergent on my pots and pans than I would about spilling fixer on my pots and pans.

thanks for all the information! this is very helpful.

grain elevator · Apr 26, 2022

If it was so dangerous that I was impossible to sufficiently clean off of cooking utensils, you shouldn't be using it without a ton of personal protective equipment and you shouldn't be pouring it down the drain. In fact you shouldn't pour used fixer down the drain, due to the silver in it, which is a danger to the microorganisms in wastewater treatment - not so much to people.

2film · Apr 26, 2022

grain elevator said:
If it was so dangerous that I was impossible to sufficiently clean off of cooking utensils, you shouldn't be using it without a ton of personal protective equipment and you shouldn't be pouring it down the drain. In fact you shouldn't pour used fixer down the drain, due to the silver in it, which is a danger to the microorganisms in wastewater treatment - not so much to people.

thanks, once I do it again Ill look into proper ways to git rid of it!

BrianShaw · Apr 26, 2022

Did you let fixer touch your skin? I’d worry a lot more about that than residue after properly washing the pots and pans (and the sink and the counters). I really don’t worry about a little bit of fixer on the skin (or washed down the drain).

2film · Apr 26, 2022

BrianShaw said:
Did you let fixer touch your skin? I’d worry a lot more about that than residue after properly washing the pots and pans (and the sink and the counters). I really don’t worry about a little bit of fixer on the skin (or washed down the drain).

i don't think I got it on my hands to much no. thanks for your help.

AZD · Apr 26, 2022

So one time in the school darkroom a friend and I used some 16 ounce stainless tanks as mugs to split a bottle of root beer. We rinsed them out first. Probably. Both of us are still alive and free of twitching, itching, etc.

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 26, 2022

AZD said:
So one time in the school darkroom a friend and I used some 16 ounce stainless tanks as mugs to split a bottle of root beer. We rinsed them out first. Probably. Both of us are still alive and free of twitching, itching, etc.

Thats quite the story

Agulliver · Apr 27, 2022

Clean everything well, and use to cook/eat.

Unless you chug the stuff, B&W photo chemicals are considerably less harmful than the stuff you clean your bathtub with.

greg zinselmeier · Apr 27, 2022

Fear in our society towards chemistry, chemicals, chemists as “evil doers” has/is quite rampant. The manufacturer’s who make these products. . . (Fixer) have they been sued? Sued for anything? Mandatory warning labels like tobacco ? I don’t think so ! Fixer on your skin? Give me a break!!! This stuff ( chemistry ) in the % we use. It is pretty benign

pentaxuser · Apr 27, 2022

I'll have to risk sounding tetchy here but can I ask those who simply said "No- don't use it for eating again" to at least give reasons and/or conditions for saying NO. What you have said is that even a few drops of fixer touching the pots and pans cannot be safely washed off. It's as if the OP needs to throw out all of that no doubt expensive kitchen utensils for the sake of a few spots of fixer

At least qualify your statements for the sake of the inquirer. Thank goodness we had enough replies to establish balance.

Last night I did a leader test in Microphen and the leader was curly so needed my fingers to press it down periodically in the developer. I then later spilled a few drops of fixer on my hand. In each case I only run my hand under water a few minutes later

So, how long have I got?

pentaxuser

Agulliver · Apr 27, 2022

greg zinselmeier said:
Fear in our society towards chemistry, chemicals, chemists as “evil doers” has/is quite rampant. The manufacturer’s who make these products. . . (Fixer) have they been sued? Sued for anything? Mandatory warning labels like tobacco ? I don’t think so ! Fixer on your skin? Give me a break!!! This stuff ( chemistry ) in the % we use. It is pretty benign

though skin allergy to sodium thiosulphate (contained in many fixers) is definitely a thing.

however, I stand by my statement that you'd have to chug the stuff to actually do any real harm. Good practise when using the kitchen is certainly to clear the area of anything that's going to be used for food prep and clean your sink after. But my mum still uses the roasting tins that 7 year old me repurposed as dev and fix trays some 42 years ago. Didn't do me any harm. Baaaaaa.

jnamia · Apr 27, 2022

I wouldn’t eat or prepare food out of them.
=
regarding your drain issue... If you have metal pipes silver-laden fixer may be corrosive down your pipes ( and it’s illegal to dump photofinishing tailings down the drain in most places ) it’s a bacteria-killer and given the opportunity it may ruin your septic system if you make a habit of disposing your waste this way. You’re better off saving your toxic waste for toxic household waste disposal day at your local town dump…. it's not worth the trouble and potential aggravation of screwing up your pipes or septic system.

gone · Apr 27, 2022

I'd clean the heck out of things w/ a scouring pad, Brillo pad, etc, and never, ever use food items for photography chemicals again. It's not crazy toxic, but any residue may be concentrated, and who knows what cooking heat may do to those chemicals.

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 27, 2022

Good thought about heat and chemicals. Heat do some crazy things to chemicals that otherwise would be harmless.

Like previously stated, photography chemicals (black and white particularly) aren't extremely toxics to human beings.

Over the years, both my wife and I had accidental sips of fixer/developers (I've fixer, my wife d-76). Neither of us had any symptoms (aside from the terrible bad taste).

Problem comes with constants contact more than accidental contact. Example, It is by far more harmful to develop without gloves. Many photography chemicals are better absorbed by the skin than direct ingest.

Clean pots and be more careful next time.

Just for reference take a look at the following chart:

Photography Chemicals

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 27, 2022

Oh and work on a ventilated area! Direct skin contact and prolonged breathing of photography chemicals can be dangerous.

mshchem · Apr 27, 2022

Fixer comes in handy as an antidote for cyanide poisoning, used intravenously. It's rather harmless, wash up with good warm dish soap, pots, pans, and hands. Next time dump it in a toilet or even better find a minilab that will take it.

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 27, 2022

By the way, photographic chemicals are way more harmful to the environment that you. Make you think (or not).

flavio81 · Apr 27, 2022

mshchem said:
Fixer comes in handy as an antidote for cyanide poisoning, used intravenously. It's rather harmless, wash up with good warm dish soap, pots, pans, and hands. Next time dump it in a toilet or even better find a minilab that will take it.

View attachment 303997

Wow this is great info...!!!

mshchem · Apr 27, 2022

flavio81 said:
Wow this is great info...!!!

Don't try this at home!

Kodak Film Fixer got on pots and pan, when doing home developing. how should I clean this to use for food consumption?

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