mel jacobson on wed 2 sep 98
very informative salt emissions article in cm this month by gil stengel,
and some thoughts from clayart in it.
some good, some, well, interesting.
one of my customers is the state toxicologist, and he is interested in, and
has
looked into kiln emissions. (he likes pots, a great deal)
he has said to me:
the headache is the first test for anyone working in an enclosed space with
a kiln. if you are getting headaches, make some changes...better venting,
open doors, or just get out.
he also said, don't hang around kilns, just read them, adjust them, and scoot.
as to salt, he has been very firm....won't hurt you, unless you are stupid and
just stand in the vapors, or have a low chimney, or work in an enclosed space
with one. he feels they are the same as any gas emitting
kiln...dangerous, so
be careful.
helpful hint from dr. hammerschmidt, if your throat gets sore from being
around
a salt kiln, gargle with ant/acid...like liquid maalox.
it works, i did that once.....got a sore throat at `pigeon lake`......low
chimney, bad
wind........ouch..liquid maalox, was gone about a half day later.
i am not talking big science here......just common sense...good kiln control,
and common advice from a good doctor....
mel from minnesota
minnetonka, clear lake, wisconsin.
p.s. in fact, i feel that raku firing fumes get in my lungs more than any
other
firing system. don't like it much, always feel crummy after raku.
how you feel after firing is always the first scientic test........be aware.
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
Don & Isao Morrill on thu 3 sep 98
A Hi,Mel...good post on "kiln emissions". Perhaps it isn't so strange that
younger potters seem to ignore the lessons of history.
Only within recent times has it been possible to work in an
enclosed area where emissions have been dangerous.Surely potters today have
seen the thousands of pictures of kilns of the past in open air. Can any of
us, that have fired Nobori-gama,Ana-gama and smaller kilns, forget those
frigid mornings and late nights of firing? Ventilation we had,and there was
little cocern with fumes. It does seem to me that we often forget...or
simply ignore... that the effects on the lungs are 'cumulative' and
composed of the hundreds of 'stinks' to which we are exposed...sometimes
one more exposure may be the last straw. Don M.
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