Most artists, not to mention the hobby crafters, don't know or simply ignore the health risks related to the materials they are working with. They ignore the fact that rooms should be ventilated, or solvents, or even simple linseed oil on rags should be treated very carefully. Additionally, pouring waste solvents down the drain is criminal towards the whole neighbourhood, because it contaminates the water. Or, using turpentine excessively in one's home studio where the rest of the family is altered to the turpentine fumes, is ... what?I think this part of art materials education has been neglected for too long and it's about time we start taking it seriously.
The current book covers different art fields and the health hazards/materials related to these. I found it rather helpful to find out about the hazardous materials that are used in scuplting, ceramic art, woodworking, etc. As not everybody is a chemist, it's a relief to have all this knowledge in a nutshell, ie. the chapters covering each art field are fairly short and it's easy to grasp the main idea. I warmly recommend it to the first year art students, as well as to hobby painters, etc. People should think about the fact that the materials that were banned in industry some umpteen years ago, but are still in common use by artists, should be taken seriously.
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