Crafting for a Greener World
Searching for Safe and Healthy Art and Craft Materials
by Robyn Coburn
 In 1987, I walked into the textiles lab at the University of Wollongong
School of Creative Arts in Australia, excited to learn all I could about fiber arts. I was
especially excited by the first semester curriculum, which would include dye
techniques that I expected to be intensely useful to me as a costume and set
designer.
I learned a lot about dyeing cloth and yarns but, after one semester, I was
driven out of the textiles lab by what turned out to be a sensitivity to diazo
dye powders. Despite following all the mandated safety protocols, including dust
masks while measuring and precision weighing the powders, and very thorough
clean-up procedures, I spent the five months of the session feeling like I had
gravel in my eyes every time I went into the workshop.
These were industrial level “artist quality” dyes. I had never before had any
kind of allergic reaction to commercial consumer dyes in either powder or liquid
form. Luckily, my costuming needs and my home dyeing have been amply supplied by
those dyes that are available at the supermarket.
While it is true that the dye powders I was using all those years ago were
certainly not to be considered, nor labeled, “non-toxic,” my experience shows
that for some users the ordinary recommended safety precautions may be
inadequate. I remain wary of powdered pigments of any kind.
Fast forward twenty years to today. The array of art supplies is dizzying – as
is the amount of safety information now available to all of us as consumers.
In my quest to bring more ecological sensitivity to my own arts and crafts
practice, I started considering alternatives to commercially available crafting
paints. I went searching for safe and healthy art and craft materials. I was looking for paints that would be practical replacements for use in
my professional crafting. I’m not talking about making tie dyed papers out of
shaving cream and food coloring. That’s tremendous fun, but it may not result in
the kind of product that I can offer for sale because I don’t know how colorfast
the end result will be.
One kind of permanent and durable paint that is suitable for porous surfaces is
milk paint. Casein, the milk protein, is the binder that holds the pigment. In
the right formulation, it will dry to a somewhat glossy surface, is resistant to
mildew and doesn’t usually require a sealer.
I found recipes that included curdling the milk and slaking (soaking overnight
to make soluble) the pigment powders. I found recipes that start with cottage
cheese. I found that some of these recipes include the use of borax for its
anti-fungal properties. Borax can be used as a laundry additive to help soften
water and, sprinkled on the floor close to or behind your baseboards, will kill
cockroaches and fleas by slowly dehydrating them.
Then I started looking at the kind of pigments that would be used for milk
paints. I noticed that recipes called for clay powders or tempera powders. Many
of these are considered non-toxic but, nonetheless, safety websites recommend
using dust masks or even respirators when mixing them. So my personal alarm
bells went off yet again. I suppose that most people would not be sensitive to
non-toxic powdered pigments – but then most people in my textiles class didn’t
have any problem with the diazo dyes.
Finally, considering the price of milk these days, I decided to give a rain
check to the milk paint project.
What Does “Non-Toxic” Mean Anyway?
In the context of the official product label, “non-toxic” is intended to mean
that if your child accidentally ingests some of it, she won’t get sick, and
there is no need for alarm. The assumption is that the quantity available for
ingestion is only as was in the purchased container, labeled for consumer use.
That is to say, your toddler isn’t drinking a barrel of the stuff. Is milk paint
non-toxic? I can’t help feeling that a child swallowing a mouthful of curdled
milk and borax might feel woozy afterwards.
The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) mandates the specific tests
for ascertaining the toxicity of all materials used by consumers and industry.
The Annual Book of ASTM Standards is eighty volumes and contains over twelve
thousand standards. The ASTM mandates labeling of art supplies with different
levels of safety information.
Additionally, there is a non-profit group with even more rigorous testing
standards and that adds a certification stamp to the product label. The Art and
Creative Materials Institute works with toxicologists at Duke University to
extensively test every formulation of art materials from manufacturers seeking
ACMI certification.
Dr. Woodhall Stopford (whose impressive list of published toxicology research
studies covers pages and pages …. and pages) examines how formulations might be
expected to affect a one-year-old child, including considering allergies. Cost
is not considered to be a factor. The testers make a distinction between “acute”
and “chronic” effects and look at every ingredient singly and in combination
before being willing to award their AP (Approved Product) certification seal.
In the past, the ACMI has reacted very swiftly to scares about unexpected
contaminants in non-toxic art materials, like the asbestos in crayons fear a
decade ago. ACMI testing showed this to be unfounded and no products were
recalled.
As cool as it is to make one’s own dyes and paints from clays, plants or
insects, it should be remembered that just because they are from natural sources
does not mean that they are non-toxic or not volatile. Where and how plants or
creatures have been harvested must also be considered. Many plant-based
dyestuffs require just as stringent attention to personal safety in use as any
commercial product. And the resultant leftovers should be disposed of with as
much care.
Disposal Concerns
Paint goes bad after a while. Home-made paints go bad fast and often need
refrigeration, but they tend to be biodegradable and safe for the trash or even
compost.
Commercial paints, especially house paints, should be disposed of properly,
by being taken to a hazardous waste collection point. Even acrylic paints are
not desirable in landfills.
I don’t ever have leftover craft paints waiting for proper disposal. I use
every last drop of my paints, dyes, inks and glues. I prefer to buy smaller
containers rather than big bulk sizes for the very reason that I will use it all
well before it reaches the end of its shelf life. The empty containers are
almost all recyclable plastic. I’m excited by advances in science, new products
and processes that will take old vinyl and acrylic paint and recycle it in much
the same way as PET bottles are recycled.
How Not to Live in Fear
The most important part of the ACMI website may well be this statement: “What
makes an art material ‘safe’? Knowledge of materials and their proper use makes
them safe.”
Much of that is common sense and erring on the side of safety, even with
non-toxics. If you are susceptible to skin allergies, wear gloves – non-latex
might be best. If you ever have respiratory problems, consider masks even when
the odors or particulates are from non-toxic products. Don’t eat while working
in your studio, wear dedicated aprons or smocks for dirty work and wash your
hands thoroughly at the end of your work session.
I’m reassured by statistics from the CDC stating that ninety-five percent of
accidental poisoning deaths are from unintentional ingesting of pharmaceutical
and other drugs – not art supplies – and that the fewest deaths from accidental
poisonings are in the under-fifteen age group, the group that the non-toxic
labels are most designed to protect.
Of the calls to poison control centers, about half involve children under the
age of six, with the poisonous substances listed as primarily “cosmetics and
personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, topical
medications, foreign bodies, cough and cold preparations and plants.”
So this system of testing art supplies for toxicity and affixing warning
labels where warranted does appear to be working to keep people – especially
children – safe. I still have doubts, especially fueled by the recent problems
with lead in the painted surfaces of toys manufactured by major toy companies
and the melamine contamination of food products.
I look for the ACMI seal and I look for products made in the USA, Canada or
Europe, but it is surprisingly difficult to find art supplies not manufactured
in China. I stick to known brands when I can, with reputations to uphold and R&D
departments, rather than no-name mystery companies.
Now, if we could only trust that the manufacturing process was green, energy
efficient and clean, the factory workers were adults, paid a fair wage with safe
conditions and that the manufacturers continued to maintain the standards as
described on the labeling.
Like so many other areas where we would like to be ecologically sound, there
are hard choices and sometimes compromises. In the end we can only do our best
within our own budgets. But we can always choose to be safe. So be sure you're
using safe and healthy art and craft materials.
After a long career designing for theater and independent films,
Robyn Coburn finds her joy as an unschooling mother who also writes and crafts.
She has been a confirmed greenie since working for Greenpeace during her college
years in Australia. Robyn is currently working on two crafty books, a fairy tale
screenplay and a TV series about doll making and collecting. A past speaker and
funshop presenter at Live and Learn Unschooling conferences, she contributes
regularly to unschooling e-lists. She lives in Los Angeles, California with her
husband James and ever inspiring daughter Jayn. Contact her by
email or visit
her website to view
her work.
| 
