safety guidelines — WILD PIGMENT PROJECT

WILD PIGMENT PROJECT EXTENDED HEALTH & SAFETY GUIDELINES: FORAGING SAFELY FOR WILD PIGMENTS

A common misconception is that mineral & botanical pigments are “non-toxic, because they’re natural.” Plants, stones and earths have properties that can be medicinal, neutral, toxic, or even deadly to humans, depending on context of use, degree of exposure, and cumulative practice. It’s good to have this in mind when you approach a material that’s new to you.

The precise elemental make-up of mineral pigments — earths, clays, and rocks — is quite difficult to identify for a number of reasons. Trained geologists can reasonably identify certain rocks by color, structure, and even smell or taste, but the elements present in earths and clays are much more difficult to assess, especially when they include environmental contaminants. Electron microscopy is the most reliable way to identify minerals. But since most of us don’t have access to an electron microscope, it’s best to assume that we don’t know the specific nature of any given mineral.

Identifying plants and researching their levels of toxicity is easier than identifying minerals, though learning with someone who has experience and deep relationship with plants is much more effective, and safer, than trying to learn alone.

WORKING WITH MINERALS

Holding a rock in your hand is very different from pulverizing that same rock in a mortar and pestle, moving the dust around, and making paint. Picking up rocks with bare hands is generally considered safe as long as you are not in a contaminated area (more on contaminated areas to come).

Crushing rocks is quite different, however, as it produces dust. Fine dust can damage your health in the following ways:

1. Dust of any kind, even dust officially described as “non-toxic” can cause lung damage by blocking the tiny air sacks in your lungs. Consider “baker’s lung,” a form of asthma that affects bakers regularly exposed to flour dust, which of course isn’t toxic. Over time, lung blockage will reduce your capacity to absorb oxygen and can lead to serious conditions, such as asthma or silicosis.

2. Dusts containing heavy metals can cause severe neurological damage, blindness, cancer and other illnesses. These dusts are absorbed through the lungs, but also, significantly, through the skin and eye membranes. See protocol outlined below for protecting from these toxins.

Non-toxic mineral dusts do not cause health damage when absorbed through the skin, and can even impart beneficial properties — thus the benefit of clay face masks, etc. However, since it’s difficult to know whether mineral dusts contain toxins, exercise caution when exposing your skin. If you’re in doubt, wear gloves and shower after exposure to mineral dusts.

Even when the plants or minerals you gather have low toxicity, if they’re found in areas that have been made toxic by environmental contamination, then they will carry that contamination. If you choose to forage in contaminated sites, you must protect yourself accordingly- assume you’re working with toxic materials.

AREAS OF CONTAMINATION

Mines. Mine dumps and tailing pits, while often abundant in pigment-rich ores, can be toxic sites that should be avoided unless accompanied by an experienced geologist. Iron oxides, which are considered non-toxic and are the product of various mining operations, can be contaminated by arsenic. Copper mines produce many dangerous toxins.
Roadsides in heavily-trafficked places. Gasoline fumes contain heavy metals which can settle out and accumulate on soils in road cuts. Use your judgement to assess risk — urban roads may have high levels of heavy metal fallout, while backcountry roads have much less.
Industrial-scale agricultural sites. Drainage ditches and soils can hold high levels of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that could be detrimental to health.
Any other place which has suffered environmental pollution from industry (like superfund sites) or individual household practices (improper storing of household toxins, etc).
Calciferous marine bodies. Sadly, due to ocean contaminants, the shells and bones of many ocean creatures contain dangerous levels of heavy metals like lead and mercury. When crushed, these dusts can be extremely toxic and dangerous, not only when inhaled, but also when absorbed through the skin. DO NOT USE. Egg shells may also be contaminated.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Avoid Exposure to Silicon Dust:

Silicon is the second most common element in the Earth’s crust, after Oxygen. Silica, or silicon dioxide, is formed from silicon and oxygen atoms, and is the main component of sand (and glass!). It’s also found in many rocks. When pulverized into fine dust and inhaled, silica can, over time, cause silicosis, the most common occupational lung disease in the world. Therefore, it’s best to be careful to avoid lung exposure to fine silica dust. Ceramicists are generally familiar with this danger and take precautions to avoid inhaling dry clay dust.

Don’t crush up hard rocks. A hard rock is likely to be a rock with a lot of silica. Look for soft earths or very crumbly rocks that require little effort to pulverize into pigment. Since silica is colorless, it lightens the color of the minerals it presents with, so hard rocks are likely to make very pale pigments. Think, “glass dust.”
Avoid working with dry material, whenever possible, especially dried clays. Clays have very fine particles, and high levels of silica. Wet clay doesn’t pose the same issue. Similarly, any fine pigment is safer to work with when wet. Instead of dry sifting your pigment, consider using a water-based sifting method, known as “levigation.”
Protect your lungs from exposure. See “lung protection” below.
Wear eye protection: goggles that wrap around the eye on all sides. Fine dusts can enter the body through the delicate membranes of the eyes.

AVOID TOXIC OR CONTAMINATED MINERALS

Unless you have a pristine workspace and excellent dust-hygiene practices (see below), it’s wise to avoid making pigment with toxic minerals altogether. If you work with pigments that have been prepared elsewhere, and contain toxins, your risk is of course lower, but be sure to protect your skin and lungs from exposure nevertheless.

If your exposure to mineral dusts is minimal — i.e., you don’t use a mortar and pestle very much, and you have only occasional exposure to dry pigment — you may make the very personal decision not to reduce your lung and skin exposure to zero whenever you’re around dry pigment.

TAKE CARE WHEN WORKING WITH WASTE STREAM METALS LIKE COPPER & IRON

Copper scraps make a beautiful blue or green pigment, called verdigris, when exposed to acids and salts. The compound is called cupric oxide. The process of transformation from metal to turquoise pigment moves the copper from an inert metal to a toxic coating or dust. This copper-based pigment is a poison that must be handled with care with, because eventually it will end up returning to the ecosystem. Before working with copper as a source of pigment, consider the legacy this pigment will leave behind. Read its toxicity profile, and make sure you know what you will do with all the material you produce.

Iron can also be toxic. If dissolving iron scraps in acid to produce iron oxide, or rust, ventilate well and do not heat. Read this.

LUNG PROTECTION

Wear a well-fitted mask that filters fine dusts, ideally a respirator with changeable filters.
Keep your mask on until your space is clean and you’ve removed and stored your dusty clothes.

SKIN PROTECTION

Cover your skin. This means not only wearing gloves, but also head-to-toe protection, including a head covering, shoes, and eye protection.
Wear “dedicated clothing.” Take off your protective clothing when you’re finished working with the dust, and wash separately from your regular laundry.
Never eat, drink or smoke when working with toxic dust.
Shower immediately if your skin or hair are exposed to dust.

KEEP YOUR WORKSPACE CLEAN

There’s no sense in wearing a mask and covering your skin while crushing rocks into pigment if you take your gloves and mask off as soon as you’ve finished grinding, touch all the dusty surfaces around you, and send billows of dust into the air from your clothing.

When you’re finished working, carefully wipe down all the surfaces in your workspace and remove & store dusty clothes.

TEND THE AIR

Do not use a household air purifier. These will circulate the air and disturb the dust. If possible, work outside. If you think you’ll be doing a lot of work with dry pigments indoors over time, invest in a high-quality studio air filter with a flexible vent that can be focused right over your work spot.

A NOTE ON LEGAL SAFETY

Protect yourself: don’t get arrested for taking rock, clay, earth or sand where it’s not legal to do so. In the United States, it’s illegal to take anything from National Parks. In Europe and other parts of the world, there are many sites that are protected by local bylaws or are designated Sites of Specific Scientific Interest. Many countries also have laws in place to protect sites of cultural heritage. If you’re traveling in areas like these, be aware that your bag may be screened at the airport, and that arrests for transporting material from protected sites are not uncommon.

PERSONAL PRACTICE & SAFETY

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Do I have to follow this safety protocol whenever I crush a rock or open a vial of dry pigment?!” If your exposure to mineral dusts is minimal — i.e., you don’t use a mortar and pestle very much, and you have only occasional exposure to dry pigment — you may make the very personal decision not to reduce your lung and skin exposure to zero whenever you’re around pigment dust. You may even decide not to wear a mask or gloves. Many of the danger associated with pigment use are the result of prolonged, not brief and occasional exposure. However, there are exceptions to this — pigments that can cause you harm after relatively little exposure. The message here is: do your own research. Don’t put your health in the hands of anyone but yourself.

Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s a brief summary:

Do your own research. Don’t take any one person’s word for what’s safe pigment practice.
Forage in places without a history of environmental contamination. Avoid mines, agricultural areas, and urban roadsides.
If you’re unsure about the environment, wear gloves when picking up rocks or scooping soil.
Crush rocks that crumble easily. Avoid hard, glassy rocks. Avoid working with dry clays.
Cover your skin and hair, and wear a respirator or dust mask when grinding toxic or silica-rich minerals into fine particles, especially if you do so frequently.
Work outside, and/or work near a dust-specific air filter that can target your work spot.
Clean up carefully when you’re done to remove all dust.
Shower after exposure and wash your (dedicated!) work clothes regularly.
Never eat, smoke, or drink while working, and never use your pigment tools in the kitchen!

LEGAL SAFETY

~ Extended health & Safety Guidelines written by Tilke Elkins in February 2021, revised and updated in October 2023. Much thanks to the many people who have helped inform these guidelines, and especially to Dr. Ruth Siddall, a geologist who uses Earth science to analyze and identify pigments, for her extensive advice and recommendations for these guidelines.