Is Your Darkroom Safe?

I stumbled across an article by Michael Fulks, which serves as a reminder that photography can be dangerous:
The realization that I was slowly being poisoned finally came to me after I set up a darkroom in the laundry room of my house. While it was much larger than the closets and bathrooms I had used before this time, I noticed that I was only able to work for about 15 minutes at a time and then I would always begin to feel anxious and have trouble concentrating.
It was only after I had an assistant helping me that I fully realized the severity of the situation. After about 10 minutes working over the sink she complained of trouble breathing. After about 15 minutes she said, “We’ve got to get out of here. We’re being poisoned!”
It turns out that they were being poisoned by gases caused by a chemical reaction of the copper in the work surfaces and the chemicals used for film developing. It’s a good little story, and a decent heads-up, too!
Oh, and also, if you do your own film developing, have you seen our film developing database??
Do you enjoy a smattering of random photography links? Well, squire, I welcome thee to join me on Twitter - Follow @Photocritic
© Kamps Consulting Ltd. This article is licenced for use on Pixiq only. Please do not reproduce wholly or in part without a license. More info.
Get all outdoorsy with Pentax's Optio WG2 and WG2-GPS
Canon's complement of compacts
How to use a grey card
We’re All Bozos On This Bus--The Red Bus to Hell
Nikon PB4 Bellows Reborn
Worlds Fastest Camera
The New Sony NEX 7
Photojojo iPhone Telephoto Lens review — AudioCast
Photo Accessories that Fail Security Checks
My week with Q
Studio equipment buying guide for beginners
VSCO Film Studio Review
Lessons in Lighting
The russellgraves.com Photo Minute - Truck Blinds
Photographing Children in the wedding party
Cattle Country
Creative Photo Valentine Surprise
How to Use Multiple Lights for Dramatic Portraits
Making your own flash diffuser
LR4 free presets: Faded series
Using Sync for Video in Develop
A gift of flowers: unfold your senses
On Set of "Love & Robots" the Film
My Night with Ilford Galerie Gold Silk Fibre
FOTOMOTO - Why I Left











Silhouettes & Photo Contests
Cyan, not just another color
Our 26 best photo projects of 2011
Family Ties That Bind
Animal Group Portraits
A Brief History Of Light & Photography: Part 3 of 3
A Brief History Of Light & Photography: Part 2 Of 3
Lightroom Interview: Kevin Tieskoetter
Always Dream Big
Gallery: Embedded with the Territorial Army
Getty Villa Malibu — 4 Old Faces, 1 Sunken Garden — GALLERY (6 photos)
Wildlife photography for the masses
The 110 page guide to post-processing
How much should you charge for a photograph?
Santa Pictures + Marketing for your Business








































Comments
Good story. Now… If you could just post a “Darkroom on a Budget” story I’ll have a chance to try it out ;)
Wolever: You are psychic, darkroom on a budget is coming up very soon!
Excellent! I always wanted one of those…
Post new comment