Is artist oil paint dangerous?

I used artist oil paints today, I got them in a set about 5 years ago, from collecting a weekly artist magazine. My friend said to me oil paints contain lead. Isn't lead poisoness? So are the paints dangerous?Is artist oil paint dangerous?
they're perfectly safe as long as you dont eat themIs artist oil paint dangerous?
Don't worry. It will only damage your brain.
Excessive skin contact can make you sick since oils have a toxin in them (also using turpentine and not mineral spirits can make you sick). I think the formula for oil paints has changed to make them less toxic, but it's still good to avoid skin contact by wearing gloves or just keeping it to a minimal. I used to paint a lot with oils and got it on my hands but I never got sick (then again, I tried to be clean with it). If you're uncomfortable, try acrylic or get some latex gloves and wash your hands. Honestly, unless you eat it, it shouldn't do a lot of damage.
Many already gave you good answers, old dog and ferret gave you exellent ones. I just want to add one more thing. Most paint tubes have a label warning if it contains lead, while other should have a mark somewhere usually on the back that says something like ';conforms to the ASTM D-####';. Like many already said provided that you don't eat it your safe, or handle them too much such as holding your brushes on your mouth(this is a habit many painter have).
Just don't eat it,, I've been painting with oils for fifty eight years and hasn't killed me yet....your more than likely to get killed from bad drivers..or a waitress coughing in your soup..
Some of the paints would. The Flake white would but it isn't all as dangerous as the other true colours. Once the paint has cured the lead is rendered inert. It will not affect anyone.


The dangerous ones are the Cobalt colours like Cerulean blue and the Cobalt blue itself. The other dangerous ones would be the Cadmium colours. The Cadmiums are all warm based colours like yellow, red, and orange and they range from deep to pale in value.


The Cobalt colours are made with the same Cobalt that they use in X-Ray machines but that too is inert once the paint is cured.


Now many commercial companies do not use these Cadmiums and Cobalts because of the expense so what they do is have their chemists come up with a ';hue'; that is similar to the true Cobalt, a facsimille of a Cadmium orange, or a ';pale Cadmium yellow';, but they are not actually Cadmiums and Cobalts. They are simply mixed pigments to copy the colour indicated and the company will have it labelled '; Cobalt Blue Hue ';, or '; Cadmium Red Hue ';, to make the distinction that it is not the real thing.


The key word here is 'hue'.


There are other dangers besides the paints themselves.


The turps are dangerous and you should never buy a ';scentless turpentine'; because if you can't smell it then you could very well get into trouble for not knowing it's there and in the air.


The linseed oil is combustionable. A lot of '; Sunday painters'; have inadvertantly started fires in their homes by the poor means of disposing the rags they use to clean up the oils. When Linseed oil is confined to an enclosed trash can all bunched up with a rag the chemical reaction can lead to spontaneous combustion. That could burn the place down.


Now for the oils that MIGHT hold any lead, the only one I could think of would be ';Flake White';, it's the oldest of the whites and it is the classical white on the palette.


If you are old school in the trade then the other place would be the gesso spread on your painting surface. That too would be rendered inert upon curing.


You have more to fear with the rest of your oils than you do with any lead in any of your tubes!!!


I wouldn't worry about it at all.
Dont think they are dangerous and most things today probably wouldnt have much lead in them. Just cleaning the paint off of stuff is a bit annoying since its oil based.
The oil pait is safe, but do not let it touch your mouth.
relax, the acrylic colours are not healthy. Some white pigments are poisoness,they contain lead,bud when they are in powder shape.
just dont eat them and you should be fine there are restrictions on lead content in all sorts of things theese days
Short answer: Yes, if you eat it.





Long answer: Most heavy metals used as pigments in paint (like cadmium for yellows and reds, and lead for white) are not good for you to eat or get in scratches in your hands.





If you are very concerned about it or immuno-compromised I'd wear latex gloves when you paint (this also makes clean-upeasier!) Never hold your brush in your mouth, and other than that you should be just fine!





By the way, not all oil paints contain lead. It depends a lot on the specifics. Many acrylics use the same potentially harmful pigments, but most watercolors and temperas are safe.
Art materials are only dangerous in the hands of a genius.
so long as yo wear medical gloves, keep from contacting the paint with your skin, and don' eat paint, you won't suffer the symptoms of blindness, deafness, depression, dementia, and death.





take proper precaution. Also, paint in a well ventilated area, and don't dump waste down the sink; can it or bottle it and throw it away.
They used to be a loooooong time ago. But unless you eat it, you're not going to get sick.
Certain oil paints have lead. Some have cadmium. those are all bad for you. They sell this stuff in a tube, its like a hand cream and I can't remember the name of it now but you rub it on before you paint and it closes the pores in your skin so any toxic stuff won't sink in. I use leaded paint all the time and just try not ot get it on me too much. A little won't kill you, but wipe it off if you see it. Some people wear latex gloves. And those paints are old and yucky. You should get new ones. The oil goes rancid and smells bad. Even though I kinda like that cheap, old oil paint smell. Good times. Anyway, there's lots of toxic stuff, check the labels. They should have some arts and crafts label saying if it's non-toxic or not. If it's just lead you're worried about, stick to titanium white. I don't think they put lead in many colors anymore. Just flake white as far as I know. And wash your hands before eating or drinking. NEVER eat and paint. Bad, bad bad.
Some oil paints used to contain lead carbonate, but since this could cause lead poisoning, its use was banned in many countries. Check withthe manufaturer of the paints to see if your particular paints contain lead. It they came from China you can pretty much bet they contain lots of lead.





This should not really be a hazard unless you ingest it, which is highly unlikely. if you get any on your skin, just wipe it off with turpentine of mineral spirits.
No that's the first Ive hear ed of that.But i did hear that in the past artist used urine in there oil paints to thin it out sometimes.
Hi,





Old Dog gave you a good answer.


I'll just add a small tip : sometimes, more than it should happen (this happens alot with auto refinish painters), people tend to clean their hands in the moment with thinner / turps, whatever when they have paint on their hands. Don't.


By doing it you are thinning the paint and making it more absorbable through skin. Clean them with a rag and if you need to wash them, use a proper product that you may buy at an art supply store or one that sells automotive paints.


Three good brands are Gojo, Loctite and Stokolan's Slig Spezial.





Kind regards,





Jos茅


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