bill edwards on sun 14 aug 05
When I manufactured, it was my duty to supply MSDS and
information sheets to the public, sort of. Analysis
information for health or toxicology has basic
standards of cautionary notes on all materials.
Cobalt, iron and TiO2 have what are called emergency
over-views. Sara title III and other things that
aren't important here for this conversation.
I had a capture system for any materials released. I
also provided areas that seperated any potential
problems (storage) and more than often went far above
and beyond compliances of any regulatory group. And I
would not use formaldehyde or other materials in my
work and I keep a listing of a complete material
breakdown which I researched some on almost daily. I
replaced ammonia with other reactive agents for acid
bases to neutralize materials. I also do consulting
for Natural Gas and decided not to get embedded in the
latest discussion. I seen some good answers and was
suprized at how well managed some of our groups people
are. But do read on...
--------------------------
CAUTION! MAY CAUSE IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES, AND
RESPIRATORY TRACT. MAY AFFECT LUNGS. (It's everywhere
you look)
The above is in regards to TiO2 and 'iron' ferric
oxide will have a 'similar' one as will cobalt. What
don't?
First check the CAS# and percentile of the material.
often some hazard will follow. Don't call hazmat just
yet. Always refer to their changes and special
provisions inclusions. You will need a team of
lawyers, a ton of Ph.d's and an army of other
scientists to figure out the regulatory compliance
laws if you if ever can and then you will be a
toxicologist who researches constantly and fights with
one another to get the facts out first, often having
to change them after group explorations and lobyist's
and additional findings, then they change them back. A
company makes an extra nickle for a few years and then
another gets a chance at someone's expense.
What they don't do is provide the complete picture
from a deeper toxicology standpoint and often it will
be based on the companies putting out the information
and whatever governing force is behind it and how they
combine this with their latest technology for
prevention and safety on a larger scale when possible.
The company you posted uses Certificates of analysis
and provides purity forms to industry for sampling and
use. Then there are re-packers who may obtain vast
quantities of materials that have their own set of
figures and their own licensed groups to re-set their
MSDS information particular to that company based
loosely as possible on whatever legal end they need to
meet. (There are specific guidelines to follow and
minimal ones at that in many cases)
Look for a toxicology over-view that deals directly
with the compounds effect on the human body. Is it a
skin issue, a lung issue or organ problem. What route
of entry does it take?
(I think it (Mn) starts to decompose at 986F.) If you
don't have a metal source in your gasoline your engine
is going to knock. Lead got replaced. We become
sensitive to things as we age, we still must die. The
trick is to keep the body living as long as possible
and continue eating packaged foods with all sorts of
unknown goodies in them that prevent them from rotting
for months at a time.
Manganese Dioxide is a strong oxidizer, not known to
be absorbed through skin contact, known to have
potential health effect when inhaled inparticular
fuming. Now we know not to put the material with an
oxidizer that may potentially cause ignition, so the
trains travel with it to whatever destination with
that warning and FLASHPOINT information becomes
valuable again. (They are considering the vapors of
the material now)You will see ignition temperatures
and flammability limts. We know that basic skin
contact isn't the problem based on science but
breathing fumes from burn-off and airborne dusts might
be a problem based on exposure and time.
All kilns produce an extreme mixture of toxic fume at
some point. (my personal opinion and an informed one)
You can get a similar result by sticking your nose to
you car exhaust and holding it there for awhile. So
the cautionary role would be to vent or stay out of
the room after it hits the funky note, use filtration
rated for this type of burn off if you like lingering
in tight areas where burn-off is going to happen.
(every kiln load will be different in some aspect) The
compounds that mention skin damages and harm means
that you wear gloves because it is absorbed through
the tissues, your skin being a larger organ in a
sense. Good hygienic practices can't hurt anyone no
matter what they are handling. Iron, rutile, ball
clay, silica are simplified to dusty materials,
sometimes purity isn't the standard. A mask, and cheap
disposable gloves and clean up with wet mop if at all
possible. Don't be putting 2 chemicals or more
together that are incompatable. Vinegar and bleach,
HCI and soda. (The old lava flow trick). But you
cannot fear yourself out of business or if the fear is
that high, your in the wrong business because you are
exposed to silica and countless microscopic
toxins/hazards throughout your life no matter what and
someday something is bound to point all your toes
straight up if we outlive an accident waiting to
happen. Reducing the damages and dangers so your body
can live the longest possible time is why we have
information as guides but seldom do we have a bible
for lay-people on each material they may come into
contact with. So use good logic when dealing with
anything you aren't sure about for starters. (I used
to often fuss about our suppliers being forced to
provide the MSDS sheets and technical sheet
information but some here decided it was over-kill and
fussed me out of that practice)I might being doing
some kind of damages to our suppliers by pushing that
button too much. Bless them, they make a living off it
and we make a killing too don't we? It shows 72-80% to
be a starting point hazard from Manganese with quartz
at 1-3% and barium at 1-2% and lead at 0-0.2 % of
compositional or analized purity of one source. How
much is too much? How pure is pure??? Compounded
analysis.
An alarmist view - WHY? There's been occasions where
someone will put a rant out about a particular
material and scare people to death. Probably the
anxiety level and concern will impact their health
worse in some ways than letting it go and doing their
own study when they could have already prevented the
potential harm,if any, by utilizing a safety NIOSH
rated mask and those cheap disposable gloves and
practice good house-keeping. This is not to say we
don't need the challenge from time to time to keep us
on our feet but there's certainly more fear out there
than is founded with facts that back them up when it
comes to our craft. I can't find one piece of
information on potters that got sick by simply just
handling manganese dioxide alone and I doubt if anyone
is rolling around in it on purpose. I believe in
manganese poisoning, I don't fear it nor should I. I
will not be drinking raw, large quantities of it nor
standing at the vent inhaling it or even using my bare
hands to dig it out of the bin or stirring any glazes
with my bare hands. Why not Mr. Know it all? Because I
don't like my hands getting nasty mostly unless its
from throwing on the wheel and then I wash them often,
I hate the smell of burning materials of all kinds and
I don't like a clogged up nose from microscopic
materials that my eyes can't see that floats in the
air much longer than you think. (see airborn
contaminates) But I am exposed just the same because
the largest organ of my body is my skin. I can't
decontaminate each time I open a bin or I would never
get anything accomplished. This isn't just about
pottery for crying out loud. Its about life in
general. How often do you go to a public toilet and
consider the germs there, what about all the
restaurants in the World where you don't know how
clean they really are and how clean the cooks are but
we discuss potentials that have no basis or facts
linking the evidence together. What about the mold
spores and allergins that thrive all around you and
the pollutants that flow in the rivers and air from
large enterprises that lobby our governing bodies into
letting them get by with a little more of this and a
little more of that but will come knocking at your
door if they find you have some materials on hand they
suddenly believe should only be in the hands of larger
business who lobby better and have more money. Be
careful and considerate and use good logic. You will
make a great potter! It has bugged the crap outta me
here sometimes to see a potter being blasted for
firing a kiln in some forsaken City where their
fire-marshals and assault team come trucking in and
acting as if they are unleashing the worst case
scenario on the World by firing their kilns. Some can
be total bastards and they enjoy the empowerment of
governing a person right out of business and often
they honestly lack the credentials to know enough
about this but use the strong arm of their law to
enjoy harassing someone making minimum wage while
allowing their industry giants great lattitude in
filling the rivers (aquatic life) and air (plants and
animal) up and over-looking things till commitee's and
groups start fighting them tooth and nail and causing
a bigger stink than the industrial wastes and mercury
releases into the oceans of the World. Lets keep all
this real and enjoy what we do! There's enough good
people on here who have the knowledge to lead any
potter forward and can do so with hard scientific
education, not fear or strong arm tactics. What next,
they start telling people they can't build a fire in
the chimneys to stay warm because they have forced the
sell of fossil fuels up so high the common person no
longer can afford it. Please.... be kind to your mind
and it will be kind to you. You have to think for
yourself or others will dictate your life right out
from under you! It's a greedy world and money is the
leader. (Not a policital rant, but a basic observation
formed from my logical view-point, everyone here has
one or two) If you don't believe something, choice is
often the next best thing to exercise. DELETE,(We are
told this often) but why moderate a truth from the
facts of life. Politics and what we are and do go hand
in hand and we have to live or die by the golden rules
of others anyways. There wasn't any name calling was
they or some threatening damages of some kind that I
missed while napping at the key-board?
Bill Edwards
Edmar Studio and Gallery
302 South Main St (Shipping)
POB 367 (Mailing)
Camp Hill, Al. 36850
http://apottersmark.blogspot.com/
"!" And I quote that
CampHillBilly
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