If you teach classes
to children, either in a public or private setting you should
read "Safety in the Artroom" by Charles Qualley,
get the revised edition.
Also
read Amaco's "Product Encyclopedia & Safety Manual"
Free from Amaco or stop by, and I'll give
you one.
Why?
The
Labeling of Hazardous Material Act (LHMA), The Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and a bunch of other federal
agencies have rules. Some of which, you may not be aware
of, but should still abide by. These rules apply to ALL
teachers in ALL STATES
public or private.
The
rule that causes the most trouble is the "Conforms
to ASTM D-4236". See links
at bottom of this page.
Grab
a couple of glaze jars, read the label. Same thing with
the boxes that your Clay came in. This statement
HAS to be on all art products sold in the US. Doesn't
help if you don't know what D-4236 means, does it?
"Dinnerware
Safe" does not mean Non Toxic
"Non
Toxic" does not mean Dinnerware Safe
"Lead
Free" does not mean Dinnerware Safe
"Lead
Free" does not mean Non Toxic
"Conforms
to ASTM D-4236" does not mean Non
Toxic or Dinnerware safe.
So
what does "Conforms to ASTM D-4236" mean? Believe
it or not, it means the product is labeled correctly.
Let's
see if we can make sense out of this.
All
manufactures of "Art Materials" sold in the US
must and should have their product tested by a Certified
Toxicologist and labeled correctly. Then, they have to put
the "Conforms to ASTM D-4236" on the package to
let you know it has been tested and labeled correctly. Even
though you don't know what ASTM D-4236 means.
Now
I'm all for the testing part. But they really need to fix
the above. Shouldn't it be made a little more clear for
us that didn't finish law school?
However,
this part is clear:
ALL
ART PRODUCTS USED IN Grades K-6 MUST BE
"CERTIFED
NON TOXIC"
What
you need to look for are the words "Non Toxic"
If
you can't determine from the package that a product is non
toxic, don't use it in your classroom.
If
a manufacture has spent the time and money to test their
products, they will be proud of it and spell it out. Why
wouldn't they?
This
goes for all art materials. Those products which actually
become a component of the work of visual or graphic art,
such as paint, canvas, inks, crayons, chalk, solder, brazing
rods, flux, paper, clay, stone, thread, cloth, and photographic
film.
If
the children are making things that could come in contact
with food, look for:
"Non
Toxic" and "Dinnerware Safe"
make sure BOTH are on the label.
Here
is where you can get in trouble. If you take a "Non
Toxic" glaze and put anything in it, such as a stain
to change the color, even if it's also "Non toxic"
(stains are considered toxic in dry form, by the way). You
have made a new compound and even though it could still
be non toxic it has not been "Certified
Non Toxic" by someone that should know what they are
doing. My opinion and your opinion doesn't count here.
Same
goes with Clay, add Paper to a clay body and it's no longer
the same formula and must be retested.
I
understand that tight budgets can bring out some creative
projects in the Art Room. But when it comes to buying clay
and glazes, keep the following in mind.
Non
Toxic Clay and Glazes cost no more than the Clay and Glazes
that require a Warning Label.
These
rules are to help keep us, and our children safe.
It's
not difficult to look for the words "Non Toxic"
MSDS
sheets are available from manufactures and should be on
hand for anything you use. Manufactures are required to
give you one if you ask. No MSDS? Don't use it.
Having
that MSDS sheet can save a life or, if it's a product that
is non-toxic, pulling out that MSDS can put fears to rest,
.
MSDS
sheets also have instructions about what to do if you splash
it in your eyes, ingest it, spill it, etc...
What
about grades 7-12? The rules are a little different but,
if you go by what is required for K-6, you won't have to
make any judgment calls.
