I have seen the scary headlines stating that acrylic paint is toxic, and initially I just thought, surely not, it’s water soluble and is used by hundreds of thousands of people on a regular basis, if it was toxic I would know about it… But then I thought, I had better do some research into this question.
Is acrylic paint toxic? Most people believe that because acrylic paint is water soluble it’s not toxic, and where that is true for most acrylic paints, there are some pigments that have an extremely toxic nature, such as Barium, Cadmium, Chromium & Selenium, also Copper Nickel and Zinc
I know that sounds very scary, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.
I did say that most acrylic paints are safe… And that’s all very well, but we want to know about the ones that are not safe right!
Always Check The labels
This is the warning label on my box of Golden Fluid Acrylics… It’s not just Golden, it is on other paints and products too.
Obviously reading that label it sounds horrifying, but it isn’t as bad as it first appears, these are the California Prop 65 Warning labels that must be used. You can read what Golden have to say about it here
Paint companies are required by law to put labels on their paints if it contains anything that ‘may’ be harmful at all.
Which Acrylic Paints Do Contain Toxic Chemicals?
First of all, I don’t want you to get overly concerned about the chemicals in some paints to the point where it stops you from enjoying your art.
We just need to educate ourselves, so we can make better choices.
As I said earlier, most acrylic paints are non toxic when used in the typical way of brushing or pouring them onto a canvas. It is only when we start using them in an airbrush, or when we sand them once dried, that tiny little particles become airborne and we need to take extra precautions.
The colors to be aware of are Cadmium, Cobalt, Manganese, Chromium and Lead.
Are There Alternatives We Can Use
Yes, there are absolutely alternatives we can use
When you see a color that is called ‘Cadmium Red Hue for example… Have you ever wondered what the word Hue actually means?
In its literal sense, hue means color… When it is used in these paint names, it indicates that the ingredients of the color have been changed.
So for example, cadmium Red, becomes Cadmium Red Hue.
Paint manufacturers, like Liquitex, are constantly testing and looking for ways to eliminate the toxicity of any paints, and adding the word Hue to the color name means the recipe has changed. For example, Cadmium Red Hue does not contain Cadmium (the toxic element), instead it contains a laboratory developed pigment that gives a very similar color.
It is important to note, that this does not mean the color is necessarily inferior in any way.
What Do The Safety Symbols On Acrylic Paints Mean?
Most paints will just have a safety symbol on them, so I wanted to show you what the safety symbol looks like.
The image below is of one of my tubes of Amsterdam acrylic paint, and as you can hopefully see, it has three labels on it, the ones on either side are to let you know you can recycle the tube, and the center labels is the AP seal…
It stands for Approved Product.
“The AP Seal identifies art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems.”
How To take Precautions When You Use Acrylic Paints
Here are some safety tips and precautions you can take when you are using your paints
Make sure to keep your art space well ventilated. I learnt this the hard way, because I used to get lots of headaches, then I realised that it was often after I had spent time painting in my studio in the evenings… The days were fine, because I have bi-fold doors in my studio leading outside, and they are open most of the time I’m in there, but obviously at night, they would be closed.
Have you ever walked back into your art space after the door has been closed for a while and been hit by that smell of paint? That is what we are breathing in when we don’t use ventilation or an air purifier.
It is even better if you can work outside in the fresh air, but here in the UK it rains a lot, so is not always possible.
- At the very least, have a window open if at all possible.
- If possible, have a extractor fan fitted in your art space.
- Another great health benefit, would be to invest in an air purifier from Amazon.
- Only squeeze out of the tubes the amount of paint that you will be using straight away… The less open paint, the less fumes.
- Don’t hold your paint tools in your mouth… I. have been guilty of using my mouth as a third hand in the past.
- Wear Nitrile gloves to stops solvents and paints being absorbed into the skin… and keep your hands clean.
- Use a good barrier hand cream
- Always put the lids back on the paints as soon as you’ve poured out the amount you need to use.
- If you get paint on your skin, wash it off immediately… I really need to do this as I am a very messy worker!
- When sanding paint after it has dried, wear a respirator… Acrylic paint is in it’s most dangerous form when it is in these little particles because it gets airborne and then we breath them in.
- Also use a respirator when using an airgun or spray paints, for the same reasons above.
- Don’t let children play unsupervised with your paints, especially very young children.
- Wash your hands before eating after using your paints.
- Painting with your fingers, you could possibly be driving pigments into your skin.
- clean up paint spills as soon as possible using soap and water.
Using Mica Pigments Safely
I often mix powdered Mica pigments into my paints, and if these are something you’ve used yourself, you will know just how fine those particles are.
It doesn’t matter how careful you are, there will always be some of the particles that become airborne. These are particularly bad for us and can cause some quite serious respiratory problems. At the very least we should be wearing a mask when using them, but preferably a full faced respirator. this is the one I bought from Amazon
Other Mediums Mixed With paints
With many paint techniques that use acrylic paints, they are often mixed with other mediums, so you are adding more chemicals to your paint.
Pay particular attention to the labels to see if there are any safety guidelines. you need to follow.
It will be marked on the label if they are safe or contain toxins.
Is It Safe For Kids To Use Acrylic Paints?
With smaller children there are obviously other precautions we need to take, such as making sure they don’t put the paint in their mouth or eyes, and they should always be supervised.
Young children have much more delicate skin than adults, so I would prefer to use liquid Tempera Paints rather than acrylics… It does also come in a powder form, but the dust particles can be hazardous, so that is my reason for choosing the liquid ones.
Are Acrylic Paints Safe To use Around Pets?
Those of us that have pets (We have 2 dogs) will know how they like to sniff and lick everything to see if it’s tasty.
However, as long as you take the right precautions, like not leaving paint water in reach of them, and as long as they don’t start chewing your tubes of paint, you can still have your fur babies keep you company whilst you’re painting.
Is acrylic paint toxic to cats?
This is what animalpath.org had to say…
“Acrylic paint is generally safe for cats and it’s not toxic if your pet happens to lick and ingest it in small amounts. It may irritate the cat’s skin and mucous membranes but it should not lead to poisoning in small amounts. However, if your pet has ingested a large amount of paint, you should be alarmed especially if your cat starts to show symptoms like nausea and vomiting.“
Don’t Let It Put You Off Using Acrylic Paints!
I know all this does sound very scary, but as long as you take the proper precautions, then there’s absolutely no reason you can’t carry on with your art.
I think it’s a good idea to have the facts, at least then we can change some of our old painting habits, and I’m sure it will become normal to take those little added precautions in the future.
Disclaimer
I’m not a professional in toxicology or medicine of any sort, I have just done some research to find out how I can keep myself and my family (including my fur babies) safe whilst we continue to enjoy painting.