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

["Joe Stephenson" <joeleica@email.msn.com>]

Wow, quite a scary experience, Mark. I respect photo chemicals and do not
get them on my skin. Use those tongs. Have decent ventilation in the
darkroom. I used to be a woodworker and was casual about dust control. I
became quite allergic to wood dust, and it was years before I could work
with wood. And I have to be very careful. Constant long term exposures can
catch up with you. Where are those rubber (not latex) gloves?
Joe Stephenson
- -----Original Message-----
From: Mark Newport <newport_m@utpb.edu>
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Friday, October 23, 1998 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] B&W processing danger (long)


>
>>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
>
>