Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/09/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I agree with Brian - making prints is something all photographers should do. It teaches new skills and makes you better at some craft aspects of the art. Ric raises a good point: be careful with the chemicals. I'm a scientist and know more by necessity about laboratory health and safety than I ever wanted to know. Learn to read a material safety data sheet (MSDS) and take the recommended precautions. Minimise your exposure and keep the chemicals in a safe place to avoid the most significant risk, the development of contact allergies to aminophenols such as metol. Apart from the benzene diols in developers (hydroquinone, pyrogallol and pyrocatechin are examples of these) there are few chemicals with much hazard associated with them in the darkroom. You can avoid all these and the aminophenols by using Kodak Xtol to develop film and Agfa Neutol Plus for papers. It has often been claimed that darkroom workers commonly get pancreatic cancer, but this is probably linked to the biased gender and age ratios, the predominance of smoking and exposure to organic solvents and petrol/gasoline in the subjects of the study that started that idea was undertaken. This reflects the time and place when it occurred. Most household cleaning products are more hazardous than darkroom chemicals and there are many much more hazardous things in day to day life. I doubt anyone will warn you not to get into or buy a car because it's dangerous. Remember that the volatile organic compounds and some other components in inkjet inks that you are exposed to when you change the cartridges of a printer are probably more hazardous than any darkroom chemicals. Print however you like, it's a relatively steep but rewarding path whichever way you go. Gallery: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene -- Be Yourself @ mail.com! Choose From 200+ Email Addresses Get a Free Account at www.mail.com