Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Tue, 02 Mar 1999 02:45:57 -0500 (EST)
Experience says different people have different sensitivities. I've had 20
students in a room splashing & exposing cyanotypes & nobody felt a twinge.
But I've seen extreme sensitivity to dichromates.
I have a friend, a photographer, who can't go into the lab at school when
anyone is gum printing because she becomes ill. Yet she prints platinum
without a problem.
Sara Van Kuren mentions in her manual a sensitivity to dichromate fumes
after exposure. I've noticed that myself, and make a point of leaving the
print a few moments after the exposure is finished before opening the
vacuum frame. Whatever it is seems to break down, or dissipate quickly.
Tho I am extremely allergic I seem able to tolerate the dichromate in the
air, or wherever it is... but here are a couple of points:
1. do not coat in the darkroom, which is usually smaller, so fumes are
more concentrated. I work in a high-ceiling room. It's a big mess, but
ceiling is 13 feet high. Everybody needs one. Well even if the ceilings
are only 8 feet, a "regular" room is less closed in than a darkroom.
2. NO CHEMICALS or SOLUTIONS should stay out uncovered in a tray. I've
made covers for all my trays, (plastic covered corrugated) watch glasses
for beakers, etc. Everything gets covered the moment it's not being in or
outed from. I don't change dichromate water every minute, because our
water is metered, but I do cover the trays always.
3. Bottles are damp wiped frequently.
4. Refuse (rags, paper towels, etc.) with chemicals on them are discarded
outside, not left to evaoporate indoors.
Don't know how effective any of these precautions are, maybe just
psychological, but they're easy to do, & can't hurt.
I'll add that I have made cyanide gas, not on purpose, leaving various
toning solutions in a tray for too long. Opened the cover & got a whiff --
no odor, but the sense of dying very soon. I made a note of the
combination & tacked it onto the wall... that was several years ago. I
don't do those things any more, but will see if the note remains.
And 2 final notes to save another message -- I don't know what it is with
you guys and your techno mania. You really want high end nitrogen force
fed compressor loop pumps, when an $8 static master works better?
Also, what drives me crazy are NOT the "off-topic" messages, which usually
get drawn out by a productive thread, even if I'm on overload. But REALLY
annoying is when someone says "me too" to 600 people. Or asks, "what is
the URL" or "let me know" all of which should go to the person
involved. Then the thing also comes with the entire thread attached, like
giant
comet tail... I appreciate getting the prior message, because, with 100
messages a day, you can forget. But, do people know how to cut?
A list friend e-mailed me tonight, BTW -- unsubscribing because the volume
is too great. Others likewise...
Judy
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Sat Nov 06 1999 - 10:06:54