Health risks of developing B&W at home

Some photochemicals are dangerous, but the commonly used ones can be safely handled with minimal precautions. I support using nitrile gloves (they are more puncture-proof than latex or vinyl gloves, and non-allergic), and goggles whenever chemicals are used. Wear a dust mask if you mix powders.

Any chemical that feels like soap on your skin, like rodinal, is highly alkaline. Be sure to wash it off right away, as it can cause burns. Same goes for the concentrated acids - stop bath concentrate, and film hardener. Everything else, be sure to wash well after you finish up.

A note on allergies - many chemicals have the potential to trigger an allergic reaction. These tend to get worse over time. If you encounter an allergic reaction, such as swelling, rash, or shortness of breath, avoid that chemical in the future. If it persists, see a doctor.
 
There isn't much health risk if you do it properly. Don't let concentrated camecals toch the skin, inhale, smoke, eat or drink them :) Also a worked out fixer contains a lot of silver and will turn you blue if ingested with water. Color chems if a very different story!
 
arseniii said:
There isn't much health risk if you do it properly. Don't let concentrated camecals toch the skin, inhale, smoke, eat or drink them :) Also a worked out fixer contains a lot of silver and will turn you blue if ingested with water. Color chems if a very different story!
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That, and likely kill you. Never, never, never consume photographic chemicals (unless you develop with cafeinol. And even then, leave out the sodium carbonate.)

I know you are joking, but I should point out that the silver in spent fixer means that it should not go into the sewer or (especially) a septic tank. It will kill off the flora that makes the waste treatment work.
 
I watched on TV most of tea and coffee almost anyone of us consume are grown using pesticides. In some sense developing B&W film can be more safe if we don't inhale powders and don't intake leftovers of chems (e.g. mixing up kitchenware for both cooking and developing).
 
tom.w.bn said:
One reason to give up film development was the fact that I didn't want to have the chemistry in the kitchen. I was quite sloppy handling the chemistry and always had them on the hands and somewhere on the kitchen surfaces. That was no good.
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Do you have an extremely small bathroom? I agree it is not a good idea to have chemicals of any kind in the kitchen.
 
btgc said:
I watched on TV most of tea and coffee almost anyone of us consume are grown using pesticides. In some sense developing B&W film can be more safe if we don't inhale powders and don't intake leftovers of chems (e.g. mixing up kitchenware for both cooking and developing).
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In that case, my warnings would also apply to cafeinol.
 
Rayt said:
Do you have an extremely small bathroom? I agree it is not a good idea to have chemicals of any kind in the kitchen.
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.. citric acid, acetic acid, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (for the delicate stuff, the rest goes in the dishwasher) glucose, dextrose and fructose and many more are to be found in my kitchen ... along with some photo-chemicals
 
When I got into developing fifty five or so years ago there were some very dangerous chemicals sold. Mercury intensifier being one example. It was extremely toxic. The hydrogen sulfide released by some toners is really bad for you and glacial acetic acid can cause serious burns and irritate the respiratory system, eyes and skin. On the other hand sodium thiosulfate ( hypo) was once used as a ringworm treatment and dilute acetic acid (not indicator stop) is nothing more than vinegar diluted. IMO the greatest risk is skin irritation which is rare.

If you're getting into alternative and vintage processes that's a different matter. In platinum printing I sometimes use hydrochloride acid as a clearing bath and I treat paper in oxalic acid. Both can cause problems if not handled properly. Also I don't think I would want platinum salts in my body. When I do collodion wet plate I use silver nitrate and potassium cyanide. Silver nitrate causes stains and burns plus will blind you if you get it in your eyes. Potassium cyanide is extremely deadly. It just takes the tiniest amount in the body either through a cut or ingestion to kill you. If an acid mixes with the potassium cyanide you get cyanide gas which is used for executions. These chemicals are so dangerous you don't get a second chance if you have an accident. If KCN is ingested even in micro quantities you may have ten to thirty seconds before you die.

I wouldn't mix conventional powdered chemicals in the house but other than that I wouldn't be too concerned.

I forgot, hypo, sodium thiosulfate fixer is used as an antidote for cyanide if you don't die before you can get it.
 
... we have always treated the cupboard under the kitchen sink as sort of a 'poison cupboard' ... that way we only had one place to keep secured from the kids
 
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