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The Toxicity of Solvents   
Friedhard Kiekeben

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Organic solvents such as white spirit or mineral spirit (also known as VOCs) are widely used in traditional printmaking and painting. Some argue that solvent use is steeped in history, but in fact the petroleum distillates that artists use are a relatively recent invention. They are the products of modern chemistry - from the 1850s onwards - and evidently, therefore, not used by the old masters, who are thought to have relied more on the use of various soaps and oils for cleaning.


The dilution ventilation approach underlying expensive extraction systems was a temporary and inefficient answer. Toxicologists fail to agree on safe exposure levels for solvents but insist that even small amounts of inhaled solvent vapors can be harmful. As a result, over the past 20 years, safe and reliable alternatives to solvent based methods have been established for all major printmaking disciplines and are now being used in print studios around the world.


In stone and metal plate lithography less progress has so far been made towards the elimination of VOCs, although more research could surely free Senefelder's medium from the hazards of VOC use. As an intermediate solution some lithographic workshops (for example at Edinburgh Printmakers and WSU) have gone beyond the dilution extraction approach and have installed localized extraction systems that are designed to give increased protection from VOC inhalation. The UIC Health and Safety in the Arts recommendation is that if local exhaust ventilation is not present, use NIOSH-approved respirators with organic vapor cartridges.

A Canadian study of 3726 men with cancer aged 35-70 conducted from 1979 to1985 also found that solvent exposure increased the risk of cancer (the risk nearly doubled).

The US National Library of Medicine's TOXNET information service recommends that for safe solvent handling, full breathing apparatus is required.


The case for non-solvent based methodologies in printmaking is compelling:

• hydrocarbon solvents or VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are nervous toxins
• short term exposure makes you dizzy and may even cause death
• long-term exposure can cause brain damage
• solvent use about doubles the risk of cancer
• solvents may harm a fetus during pregnancy

My personal experience, from nearly 25 years working in professional print studios, confirms that solvent related hazards are not just a footnote on safety data sheets but a real concern: solvents are a much greater hazard than is commonly assumed. I know of about a dozen or so close colleagues who regularly exposed themselves to solvent fumes, who later suffered serious health consequences: kidney damage, cancer, lung damage, nerve damage, and even sudden death.


PLEASE READ THE LABEL
The labeling of art materials

Art materials are chemical products and the instructions and warnings given on a label should be carefully observed.

In Europe, regulations were introduced in the 1960s to cover all products available to industry or the general public in the EU. The basis of the system is the classification of dangerous substances into the following categories: 

Any art material that falls into one of the above classifications must be labeled accordingly.

A label can also indicate the degree of severity by describing a product as "Very Toxic" or "Extremely Flammable" for example, and most show an accompanying symbol such as the skull and cross bones for TOXIC. 







The three most common classifications found on art materials are:

A label may also include "risk" phrases and "safety" phrases.

 

 

The US labelling system came about through the combined efforts of a number of associations and groups. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has prepared standards for the safe use of art materials. The Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) provides labeling certification and works to promote the safe and informed use of art materials in North America. It should be noted that the EU and US systems of labeling use different levels and limits.

 

WARNING: ODORLESS THINNERS - DON'T JUST READ THE LABEL

The petroleum industry has been marketing odorless thinners and solvents as a safe alternative to conventional mineral spirits. As a consequence, many artists, print studios and commercial printers may be using certain products in the belief that the absence of a strong odor is a guarantee of safety. This reasonable assumption is often "confirmed" by the manufacturer's use of "safe" terminology and imagery on the can. Many of these products can be just as harmful as the strong-smelling VOCs, and may contain powerful neurotoxins - something which may not be explicit in the labeling.

BEST PRACTICE: CHECK THE MSDS

If you want to be sure that a product is truly safe, inspect its MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) - the recommendations may surprise you! For example, contrary to its label, one common odorless thinner's MSDS states that a NIOSH approved organic respirator and local fume extraction is advised for the user's protection.

Responsible art materials suppliers, such as Dick Blick, provide Material Safety Data Sheets in PDF format next to their products on the company website so that you don't have to do the Googling for hidden hazards.  

 

Friedhard Kiekeben, with special thanks to Chloe Randall for her invaluable assistance with research into VOCs

 
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Extracts from Selected Sources
Non Water-Based Paints...oil paints, encaustic and egg tempera use linseed oil, wax and egg respectively as vehicles, although solvents are often used as a thinner and for cleanup. Turpentine and mineral spirits (paint thinner), for example, are used in oil painting mediums, for thinning, and for cleaning brushes. Alkyd paints use solvents as their vehicle. In addition many commercial paints used by artists also contain solvents.

All solvents can cause defatting of the skin and dermatitis from prolonged or repeated exposure. Turpentine can also cause skin allergies and be absorbed through the skin...Acute inhalation of high concentrations of mineral spirits, turpentine vapors, and other solvents can cause narcosis, which can include symptoms of dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, nausea, fatigue, loss of coordination, coma, as well as respiratory irritation.

Chronic inhalation of large amounts of solvents could result in decreased coordination, behavioral changes and brain damage...Chronic inhalation of turpentine can cause kidney damage and respiratory irritation and allergies. In the case of mineral spirits, this is usually due to chemical pneumonia caused by aspiration (breathing in) of the mineral spirits into the lungs after vomiting. Natural resins (copal, damar, rosin, Japanese Lacquer) may cause skin irritation or allergies. Rosin dust can cause asthma.


The World Health Organisation (WHO)

See the following:
Effects on humans
The odour threshold of white spirit is quite low, and vapours can be detected at levels of 0.5-5 mg/m3. Tolerance of the odour may be developed.

Eye irritation has been reported in connection with acute exposure down to a level of 600 mg/m3 (100 ppm). At higher levels respiratory irritation and more pronounced eye irritation occur. Acute CNS symptoms such as headache, drunkenness, dizziness and fatigue have been reported in several cases of occupational exposure.

Controlled 7-h exposure to levels of 600 mg/m3 or more resulted in impaired balance during walking and to an increased reaction time. Exposure to 4000 mg/m3 for 50 min resulted in impaired performance in tests for perceptual speed and short-term memory.

One case of cyanosis, apnoea (asphyxiation) and cardiac arrest after excessive inhalation exposure during painting has been reported.

Ingestion of white spirit has been reported to produce gastrointestinal irritation with pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Lesions of the mucous membranes in the oesophagus and the gastrointestinal tract followed the oral exposure.

Due to its low viscosity and low surface tension, white spirit poses a risk of aspiration into the lungs following oral exposure. A few ml of solvent aspirated into the lungs is able to produce serious bronchopneumonia and 10-30 ml may be fatal.

Prolonged dermal exposure to white spirit, e.g., resulting from wearing clothes that have been soaked or moistened by white spirit for hours, may produce irritation and dermatitis...Single cases of acute toxicity to the kidney, liver and bone marrow have been reported following exposure to white spirit at high levels.

However, clinical studies reveal decreased erythrocyte, leucocyte and platelet counts, and increased mean corpuscular volume in exposed workers.  Similar haematological changes have been observed in animal studies.

Numerous epidemiological studies have been performed involving painters with long-term exposure to white spirit. Increased incidence of complaints of memory impairment, fatigue, impaired concentration, irritability, dizziness, headache, anxiety and apathy have been demonstrated in several cross-sectional studies. Studies including neuropsychological tests have shown impaired ability in performing some of the tests. In some studies an overall reduction in cognitive functioning was noted to a degree that corresponded to a diagnosis of chronic toxic encephalopathy. In a few studies a dose-response relationship was established. This was the case in a comprehensive study in which painters predominantly exposed to white spirit were compared with non-exposed bricklayers. Painters with low solvent exposure were comparable to non-exposed bricklayers with regard to neuropsychological test results. However, the prevalence of impaired functioning increased with increasing exposure in the groups of painters with medium and high exposure.



Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume 107, Number 5, May 1999
"Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy in a Painter Exposed to Mixed Solvents"

Robert G. Feldman [1,2];  Marcia Hillary Ratner [1] and Thomas Ptak [3]
[1] Environmental and Occupational Neurology Program, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
[2] Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215 USA;
[3] Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02218 USA

This paper describes symptoms and findings in a 57-year-old painter who had been exposed to various organic solvents for over 30 years. He began to work as a painter at 16 years of age, frequently working in poorly ventilated areas; he used solvents to remove paint from the skin of his arms and hands at the end of each work shift. The patient and his family noticed impaired short-term memory function and changes in affect in his early forties, which progressed until after he stopped working and was thus no longer exposed to paints and solvents. After the patient's exposures had ended, serial neuropsychological testing revealed persistent cognitive deficits without evidence of further progression, and improvement in some domains. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed global and symmetrical volume loss, involving more white than gray matter. The findings in this patient are consistent with chronic toxic encephalopathy and are differentiated from other dementing processes such as Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct (vascular) dementia, and alcoholic dementia. Previous descriptions in the literature of persistent neurobehavioral effects associated with chronic exposure to organic solvents corroborate the findings in this case.



Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences
ISSN 0001-3765:
"Solvent-related chronic toxic encephalopathy as a target in the worker’s mental health research"
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2004)
www.scielo.br/aabc

ANDRÉIA RAMOS [1], SILVIA R. JARDIM [1] and JOÃO F. SILVA-FILHO [2]
[1] Programa Organização do Trabalho e Saúde Mental (OTSAM) Instituto de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
[2] Decania Centro de Ciências da Saúde / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, 21944-590 Rio de Janeiro
Manuscript received on September 3, 2003; accepted for publication on July 21, 2004;presented by Lucia Mendonça Previato

ABSTRACT: The article is aimed at discussing the theoretical grounds which support the diagnosis of solvent-related chronic encephalopathy in the field of the worker’s mental health, having it as a target in this area. The psychiatric, neurological and labor health postulates which contribute to the multidisciplinary description of such diagnostic category are presented.

Key words: solvents, chronic encephalopathy, diagnostic criteria, the worker’s mental health.

INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric disorders related to exposure to neurotoxins have determined different types of welfare benefits being granted by the welfare system in a number of countries, though the diagnosis provided to justify them does not always establish a clear relationship between the exposure and the disorder (Callender et al. 1997, Ramos et al. 1998, 2004, Ramos and Silva Filho 2001). The relative risk of a disability pension due to pre-senile dementia is higher among the workers exposed to solvents than in the control groups (Axelson et al. 1976, Mikkelsen 1980, Olsen and Sabroe 1980). There is a trend in making a diagnosis of neurotic disorder for workers who are exposed to neurotoxins and who are considered to be eligible for the welfare benefit. According to Lindström et al. (1984), in a Correspondence to: Andréia Ramos E-mail: aa-ramos@uol.com.br study on solvent exposure, the exposure to this neurotoxin increases the risk of early pensions as a result of neurotic disorders, though early pensions due to alcohol addiction and other neuropsychiatric disorders do not grow in the presence of solvent exposure. Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that, most of the times, these workers present unspecific complaints. Arlien-Søborg et al. (1979) examined seventy wall painters after they had undergone health care due to solvent intoxication symptoms or suspected dementia. The authors discharged possible causes of organic mental disorder and found significant changes in the tests and assessment carried out (neurological test, brain computerized tomography). They concluded that the long-term exposure to solvents would gradually result in the development of a chronic brain syndrome called ‘‘wall painters’ chronic syndrome."