Janet Kaiser on sun 3 oct 99
------------------
Original question: =22Is eating clay unhealthy?=22 is what the children of =
the 5th.
Class at the Secondary School in Nymphenburg (Munich, Germany) asked.
And I was asked by several subscribers to send the answers to the list.
So, here they are (no particular order):
1. =3E=3EA couple of months ago there was a brief thread on Clayart about =
this,
which you can find in the archives. There also is stuff, I assume, on the =
Net
if you search.
The technical term is =22geophagy.=22 The custom is widespread, and =
especially
prevalent in central Africa where is may, or may not, compensate for =
minerals
lacking in the diet.
That custom was brought to the southern U.S. with slavery, and is still not
uncommon among black people, especially pregnant women, in parts of the =
rural
south.
2. =3E=3E Whether clay is healthy or not, I couldn't say. I grew up on a =
farm in the
deep south of the United States. I have seen children eat dirt and the =
mothers
say that there must be a mineral deficiency in their diet. Also, there was =
a
time when the black folks would keep quantities of a certain clay for
consumption. They loved it for some reason. This clay came from a =
particular
area. I have seen people eat chalk also. On the first day of my first =
throwing
class my teacher took a small quantity of clay and ate it. His reason was =
to
inform the students that the clay was safe in that form and would remain =
safe
because all our glazes were formulated to be safe.
3. =3E=3EI don't recommend clay as a side-dish. It has a lot of glass =
formers in
it,
which could be destructive to one's intestinal tract. In addition, some =
clays
may have moulds or bacterial spores that could interfere with one's internal
organs.
I do recommend that one wash his (or her) hands after working with clay.
Furthermore, many studios forbid eating or drinking while throwing or
slab-making. It's best to not mix food and clay.
4.=3E=3EI asked my friend George Wright about this. He's made clay and =
bricks his
whole life, and eats a tablespoon of clay every day. His reply, =22I don't =
know if
it's healthy, I'm only 84.=22 (said as he lifted four one-hundred pound =
(seven
stone) bags of fireclay into my pickup (small lorry).
5. =3E=3Eclay has worm pooh, and eggs in it.
and but pooh and eggs.
it won't kill you, but you might get sick.
but, if you bake it to 200 degrees f. it will
be ok to eat.
we make from clay:
aspirins
pills
makeup
toothpaste
medicine to stop sickness.
and many other things.
but it is baked first.
(No prizes for guessing who sent that=21) There were a couple more, but =
sorry to
say that they were lost on an =22automatic delete=22.
PLEASE keep sending any information you may have... The Kids are really =
enjoying
the answers you have been sending. And it is good to keep their attention on
anything to do with clay.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art, Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales
Home of The International Potters Path
WEB: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
EMAIL: postbox=40the-coa.org.uk
If you experience difficulties accessing our web site, please e-mail me=21 =
Thank
you=21
| |
|
