Health Issues in Oil Painting

I am of a breed of oil painters that prefers to believe that oil painting hazards are unimportant when compared to the gratification of the creative process in oil painting. I am more carefree in nature and many times I forego precautions in order to begin a piece, however (and that's a BIG however), no one can deny that there are indeed great health risks associated with oil painting.

Solvents
There is a diversified selection of solvents available for use with oil paints. Many of them are caustic and emit vapors, and as a result can be harmful through contact and inhalation. The difficulty is trying to find one that is inexpensive, dilutes oil paint well, and cleans brushes thoroughly while at the same time considered harmless. Some solvents like turpentine are very effective at cleaning brushes, but aren't so great to mix with your paint. Fortunately, there is one particular solvent that is ideal for diluting paint as well as cleaning, Turpenoid. Since I have already admitted that I do not protect myself as well as I should when I paint, I ALWAYS make sure that I only use Turpenoid. From the start, whenever I use Turpenoid I know that I am protecting myself from the vapors that other solvents would otherwise give off.

Regardless of whether Turpenoid or another solvent is used, there is no getting around the fact that solvents are flammable. This poses one of the greatest risks in oil painting. When solvents are used, anything they come in contact with will in turn become combustible. This includes the painting surface, the solvent itself and any spills, and most importantly saturated rags or paper towels.

Pigment
There is a small variety of raw pigments derived from earth minerals that cause a safety concern. The following pigments are considered carcinogenic:

Known or Probable Carcinogens / Highly Toxic Pigments
antimony white
barium yellow
burnt umber or raw umber
cadmium red or orange
cadmium yellow
cadmium barium colours
cadmium barium yellow
chrome green
chrome orange
chrome yellow
cobalt violet
cobalt yellow
lead or flake white
lithol red
manganese violet
molybdate orange
naples yellow
strontium yellow
vermilion
zinc sulfide
zinc yellow

Moderately Toxic Pigments / Slightly Toxic Pigments
alizarin crimson
carbon black
cerulean blue
cobalt blue
cobalt green
chromium oxide green
manganese blue
Prussian blue
toluidine red
toluidine yellow
viridian
zinc white

Normally, these pigments cause the greatest harm when used in powder form. However, they can also be absorbed into the skin. Oil colours, unlike other forms of paint, are made from raw pigments bound in oil. The oil makes the paint more easily absorbed into the skin, and then into the bloodstream.

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