Dangerous chemical compounds
SCHRAMMR@wlsvax.wvnet.edu
Sat, 03 Sep 1994 18:46:10 -0400 (EDT)
Since my advice to keep ferric oxilate in the fridge and Claude's warning
that it is toxic, I have been giving serious thought to the hazards associated
with alternate photographic processes. I, and I am sure, many of you have been
trained in the proper handling of hazardous substances so I fell into the trap
of assuming that anyone reading what was posted here would likewise be aware
of the dangers inherent in these processes. I guess I assumed that only
advanced amateurs and professionals would be messing around the the alternate
advanced amateurs and professionals would be messing around with alternate
processes. Evidently this is not the case. I am very careful to warn my
students about hazards as well as any local photographers who are interested
in some of the things I do. It has taken me some five years to work out a
way to minimize the hazards associated with making a Daguerreotype, so in a
sense, I have even warned myself. Of course, anyone who wants to find the
kind of information that is posted here could do so by putting in a lot of
time in a good library. At least they could find most of it. Nevertheless
it does seem to me that if we disseminate information that could lead to
a health hazard for someone, perhaps we should also include warnings or
some type of disclaimer. Maybe the FAQ should have a section devoted to
this topic. What do the rest of you think? Could we have some discussion
on this topic? Bob Schramm schrammr@wlsvax.wvnet.edu