> Thank you, Wayde,
>
> now I am getting closer.
>
> >I'm not a chemist, just an electrical engineer. Also, you might consider
> >that just because something doesn't contain dichromates it isn't
> >necessarilly safer.
>
> You have given me some answers. It is true, that a japanise company was
> not particularly happy to tell me, Galina Manikova, about their secrets.
> The cold war is over, but I am always looked upon as a russian spy anyway.
> They assured me, that that emulsion is safe.
>
> What are the possible dangers ?
>
There is a certain amount of risk with any chemical you use, and the risks
are not always the same between any two. You might find a formulation
that eliminates the dichromate, but substitutes something else that is
equally or more toxic. The use of proprietary formulations compounds the
problem since you won't be told what is in there. Reactive chemicals are,
well...reactive. Probably your best suggestion I have for you is to get a
copy of the MSDS data sheet for the product you are interested in. This
could be compared with the data sheet for the dichromates, and then you
can make a more informed decision about the relative risks.
Common sense and good working practices are probably the most important
thing here.
- Wayde
(wallen@boulder.nist.gov)