From: garimo (omirag@cruzio.com)
Date: 05/02/00-12:21:10 PM Z
After rereading the article on photochemiclas and septic tanks in the
March/April issue of PHOTO Techniques(USA), I spent almost two hours
last night surfing the web sites listed as references and the site of
the EPA <www.epa.gov/> and now I have even less fears about any wash
water that may go down a drain from some gum printer, (before I knew
nothing). I learned intresting things like EDTA is used in fertilizers
as a source of soluble iron... I learned there are two chromiums that
should not be confused in discussions... Chromium III=good, Chromium
IV=bad... Chromium III and other minerals are often naturally acurring
in aquifers and are essential for biological metabolism at low
concentrations. I read Chromium IV is a known carcinogen when inhaled,
and the epa reports say that research on ingestion is unavailable. I
read the body does have some mechanism to convert small amounts of
Chromium IV into Chromium III and even some ground formations filter
ChromiumIV before any contamination reaches the aquifer, but then
these studies have only been conducted near factories that use large
amounts of chromium in their industries...e.g. steel making, chrome
plating, tanneries... I read little or no concerns about photo use
except that of toners for copy machines and pigments and dyes for
paints and textiles.
I learned that chromiums surrounds me continuously in my everyday
life, from when I put on my work gloves, to when I use a pressure
treated fence post, or when I measure the length of a board with my
chrome plated stanley tape measure, it's in the water I drink, and the
food I eat...and my body thrives because of it. There is no possibility
for me to escape it if I tried, AND I don't want it in the air I
breath... But like I wouldn't want to ingest a large concentration of
aspirin for a headache... I'll do my best to avoid large concentrations
of all other chemicals as well.
But here's a site that may be for some, it seems to be a magical
disposal system, but I tend to be skeptical of product claims made on
the internet, but it may be just the thing every darkroom should have,
I might get one as I sometimes use the t-max reversal kit that has
permangante bleach with manganese and maybe then I'll start to use some
toners at home instead of in the school
lab...<http://www.njefferson.com/chemgon.htm> if anyone has ever used
on of these things, I'd like to hear their value judgments of it.
well I'm off...I gotta' go put my chromium gloves to work!
garimo
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