The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

Safety in Handling Photographic
Chemicals
With a good negative and good sense, a good print is inevitable.
—William Mortensen, 1940
Toxic chemicals can enter your body in three ways: breathing them, absorbing them through
your skin, or swallowing them.
To prevent inhaling chemical powders wear a good quality, well-fi tting dust mask. To
prevent inhaling toxic fumes wear an appropriately rated fume mask. To prevent absorbing
chemicals through the porous membrane of your skin wear neoprene gloves. 1 (Putting your
unprotected hands in developer trays to shuffl e fi lm or paper may seem convenient, but in
time this repeated exposure can develop into sensitivity to common developing agents like
metol and hydroquinone.) To keep from swallowing toxic chemicals don’t bring refreshments
into the darkroom.
While the majority of darkroom chemicals are not harmful with occasional exposure,
exposure to any chemical is never good, even household cleaners. Suppose you clean your
house once a week with an over-the-counter heavy-duty household cleaner. Certainly you
should use gloves, but what if you don’t? No lasting harm will necessarily come to you. But
suppose you make your living as a janitor and use the same household cleaner every day. In
this case it is imperative that you use gloves due to the high incident of exposure. The same
is true for the darkroom.
BASIC SAFETY PROCEDURES
Appendix 1
The following list of basic safety procedures are not designed to frighten you but to ensure
that you have a long and safe career in photography. Remember that your eyes, lungs, and
skin are porous membranes and can absorb chemical vapors, liquids, and powders. Most of
the procedures are common sense.
1 Common household latex gloves are not chemical-proof. Gloves for the darkroom should be made
with neoprene or nitril.