From: Dan Baker (email suppressed)
Date: Fri Dec 07 2007 - 21:02:55 PST
Amanda and Ben,
thanks for the thoughts. I'll be sure to check out the book, and I will
consider more seriously the ventilation.
And I'll let you know if I have any other questions.
thanks
dan
On 12/7/07, amanda christie <email suppressed> wrote:
>
> dan,
>
> i agree with ben. and the book he recommended is
> great.
>
> do not skimp on ventilation... even some of the most
> 'harmless' chemicals such as the stop bath can cause
> respiratory disorders such as rads (respiratory
> affective disorder... similar to asthma) and if you
> work with harsher chemistry (colour and reversal)...
> it only gets worse from there.
>
> darkroom work is wonderful good fun, and can lead to
> some amazing results... but it can also seriously
> damage your body in the long term. some people work
> for years with no adverse affects, while others
> develop serious chronic illnesses almost
> immediately... most of them respiratory and having to
> do with ventilation.
>
> ideally you should have 5 complete air exchanges per
> hour... that is that all of the air from the room
> should leave and be completely replaced by new fresh
> air, 5 times every hour... almost no one can afford to
> do that... but that is the ideal goal in darkroom
> safety... and in some places the law (the laws vary
> from state to state and country to country, and are
> often rarely enforced).
>
> if you want some ideas... try a fume hood (like would
> be over an oven).... put the fume hood, just above
> your chemical workspace but below your head... so that
> the fumes are sent out of the room before they reach
> your mouth and nostrils.
>
> respirators are always a good idea... even if you do
> have ventilation... i developed asthma since working
> as a lab technician for years, and now i have to wear
> one whenever i work with chemicals, even in well
> ventilated spaces.
>
> for a respirator, get a good quality mask that fits
> your face and head well. to check the fit, put your
> hand over the hole at the bottom by your mouth and
> blow.... no air should come out (that hole is for out
> going air, while the side cartridges only take
> incoming air)... if you feel any air escaping along
> your skin, cheeks, or neck... then adjust it until no
> air escapes from the edges.
>
> you will want 'organic vapours' cartridges for working
> with darkroom chemicals. change them as needed...
> there is no set time or usage for changing them
> because it depends on the saturation of chemistry in
> the air as well as your own rate of breathing... a
> good rule of thumb is... as soon as you start to smell
> or taste anything.... replace them... working with bad
> cartridges in a respirator actually does more harm
> than with no respirator at all.
>
> to prolong their life, keep them in ziplocked bags
> when you are not using them. clean the inside of the
> mask with alcohol wipes between usages.
>
> if you cannot install proper ventilation, then get a
> powerful fan, and at least twice per hour, open the
> door and set up the fan to blow as much air out as
> possible.....
>
> although ideally you also want fresh air in, and old
> air out.
>
> yup.
> that's my two cents.
>
> ventilation is the most important part of the darkroom
> in my mind... you can fudge all the rest... sinks,
> running water etc.... (i've had darkrooms with home
> made wooden sinks, and buckets of water when i had no
> drains or running water).... yeah... you can fudge or
> fake or mess with any part of the darkroom... but not
> the ventilation.... that's the most important thing in
> my mind... you've only got one set of lungs.... and
> trust me... chemically induced asthma is not a fun
> thing to have to live with... adjusting the rest of
> your life around it after the fact, all because you
> were a bit careless earlier in life is no good.
> unfortunately i know.
>
> okay,
>
> take care,
> and breathe well.
>
> amanda dawn christie
>
>
> --- ben d <email suppressed> wrote:
>
> > Dan,
> >
> > Ventilation is key to safety in any darkroom space,
> > even with a high quality fitted respirator. Some
> > important safety basics can be found in a great
> > book: Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography By
> > Susan D. Shaw, Monona Rossol. It can likely be found
> > in a library near you.
> >
> > Good luck and invest in ventilation as much as you
> > can afford.
> >
> > Ben
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > > Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 11:52:20 -0800
> > > From: email suppressed
> > > Subject: darkroom without ventilation
> > > To: email suppressed
> > >
> > > Greetings All,
> > >
> > > I'm thinking about setting up a darkroom in a
> > small space (8'x8') that doesn't have ANY
> > ventilation. In trying to keep costs to a minnimum,
> > I would like to avoid having to install anything
> > unnecessary, but I also don't want to expose myself
> > to fumes and whatnot. Would wearing a respirator be
> > a sufficient safeguard against using chemicals in a
> > space like this?
> > > And if anyone has any clever ideas concerning
> > ventilation I would love to hear them.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > dan
> > >
> > >
> >
> __________________________________________________________________
> > For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at .
> >
> _________________________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> __________________________________________________________________
> > For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at
> > <email suppressed>.
> >
>
>
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