Re: [Leica] B&W processing danger (long)

[Mark Newport <newport_m@utpb.edu>]

>I don't doubt that for a second ;-)  My point was rather that I suspect
>there might be chemicals that float around in the atmosphere of dark-
>rooms, that are not too good to consume.
>
>I'm probably just being over-cautious.  I don't know all that much about
>chemistry, so I tend to be terrified of the stuff ;-)
>


I guess I should say something about darkroom chemistry. I processed film
and prints for 20 years with absolutely no problems.  No gloves, hands in
the Dektol trays, little splashes, little spills, no big deal.  Then after
an assignment heavy Christmas season at work and lots of January film
processing at home, it happened.  It started as a itchy 1" spot on my
stomach on Friday Jan. 17th in 1992. The Martin Luther King Holiday was on
Monday so we were heading to my parents farm in North Central Texas. By
Saturday afternoon I had passed out in the snow upon returning from the
doctor's office. About 60% of my body was covered with painful hot, swollen
patches. By Sunday it was 95% and at 4:30 am Monday morning I was in the
emergency room at the local hospital. I could not walk, my feet were
swollen to twice their size and had turned blue/black. I was only able to
eat crushed ice and breathe I felt like this was going to be it. In the
emergency room, my body was so swollen that after 15 tries on my arms and
feet they gave up on starting an I.V.. My doctor finally decided on 1 shot
of cortizone and 1 shot of antihistamiene (sp) every 4 hours, day and
night, for the next four days.  It was the most terrible suffering I could
ever imagine.  Nurses were coming in from other floors just to get a look
at me. The condition is called Angio Neurotic Edema a severe and sometimes
life threating form of the Hives. As I later found out through allergy
testing, I have apparently exposed myself to enough darkroom chemicals that
my body finally developed a allergic reaction to some chemical in the
darkroom. I took many months to feel well again and I still have small
broken veins and minor flare ups from time to time. And strangly, I have
now developed serious allergies to other things and for years had to carry
an Epi-pen injector with me. So for me it is a lab coat, gloves and lots of
caution when I'm in the darkroom. I was careless and it almost cost me my
life.

Thanks

Mark

- --------
R. Mark Newport
Publications and Special Projects
University of Texas - Permian Basin