www.healthy-kids.info

Hidden Hazards in the Arts

Dave Waddell is the Environmental Investigator and Project Coordinator for the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Seattle WA, http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/schoolyouth/rehab/

Dave Waddell works with schools to reduce their use of hazardous chemicals, dispose of unneeded and degraded chemicals and improve the management of those they need to keep and use.   Hazards in High Schools and Middle Schools

Here's a link to the smaller version of the slide show he uses to train art teachers, Hidden Hazards in the Arts:  Dyeing and other art hazards

Book Recommendation

The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide (3rd edition, Allworth Press) by Monona Rossol

• Could the source of breathing problems or chronic coughing be mold or dust in the classroom carpets or fumes from the kiln or the office copier?

• Can the new roofing materials or the insecticides and weed killers sprayed in the schoolyard cause rashes, nausea and headaches?

• Shouldn't the children be told to wash the paint off their hands before eating lunch?

• Are their legal standards for air quality in schools? What are "threshold limit values" or "personal exposure limits" for children?"

When students and teachers develop health problems, few of us have the background necessary to understand faulty ventilation systems or to evaluate the health risks of common materials in our schools.  

And even when students' complaints or teacher absence rates convince an administrator to call in inspectors, how can we be sure that the experts are competent and trustworthy or that their reports are accurate?

The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide (Allworth Press) by Monona Rossol provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic concepts and vocabulary necessary to understand the acute and chronic health hazards posed by a variety of chemicals and environmental pollutants. Rossol also provides the positive practical steps necessary to control them.

Although written for artists and teachers in the arts, the book is useful reading for anyone interested in healthier schools.  There are safety checklists, ingredients tables, and ventilation guidelines.

The chapter, "Classroom Hazards," discusses teacher qualifications, emergency planning, sanitation, cleanup, advice on choosing safe materials and activities. Rossol  emphasizes the importance of having information about students' special needs. There is a table on products and materials to avoid and safer options.

The author tells parents, teachers, school custodians and their employers what they should know about current health and safety regulations, not only to protect their health but their liability as well.

There is current information about the American and Canadian Right-to-Know and Hazard Communication laws and the Art Materials Labeling Act which bans the use of many common art materials used by children.

 Also see: Guidelines For The Safe Use Of Art And Craft Materials