SAFETY PROCEDURES WHEN HANDLING DRY

DRAWING MEDIA
Group 10 – Module 6
 1. Pencil leads are made of?
A. Leads B. Charcoals C. Graphites D. All of these

2. In dry Drawing media,which of these do

not create clouds of dust?
A. Graphite B. Crayon C. Charcoal D. Chalk
 3. Pencil sticks and pencil are composed of
pigments bound with resin to have a _____ form
A. Liquid B. Gas C. Plasma D. Solid
4. Crayons and oil pastels do not present a
_____ hazard
A. Inhalation B. Exhaustion
C. Ingestion D. Physical
5. Colored chalk are also considered as a?
A. Nuisance dust
B. Annoying dust
C. Blessing dust
D. Fairy dust
SAFETY PROCEDURES WHEN
HANDLING DRY DRAWING MEDIA
In this lesson, we will be discussing the
hazards and precautions when handling
dry drawing media.

Dry Drawing Media includes dust-creating

media such as graphite, charcoal, and
pastels which are often fixed with aerosol
spray fixatives and media such as crayons
and oil pastels which do not create clouds
of dust.
HAZARDS:
1. Pencil cores though termed as
Pencil lead are not made of lead,
Rather they are made with graphite and
are not considered a hazard. Colored
pencil core has pigments added to the
graphite, but the amount are little so that
the risk of exposure is also low.
 HAZARDS:
2. Charcoal is usually made from
carbonized willow or vine sticks, heated
without moisture to create the black color.
Compressed charcoal sticks use resins to
bind and create color. Although charcoal is
simply thought of as a nuisance dust.
HAZARDS:
3. Colored chalks also considered
nuisance dust. Some chalks are dustier
than others. Individuals who have
asthma show allergic reactions to chalk
dust, but not the toxic kind
HAZARDS:
4. Pastel sticks and pencils are composed
of pigments bound with resin to have a
solid form. The major hazard of using
pastel sticks is inhalation because some
pastels are dustier than the others.
HAZARDS:
5. Crayons and Oil pastels do not present
an inhalation hazard, and thus are much
safer than pastels. Its only hazard is
accidental ingestion.
6. Both permanent and workable spray
fixatives used to fix drawings on paper or
canvas to prevent smudging contains toxic
solvents. Inhalation of the product is high
because it is sprayed directly on the
drawing table or easel.
 HAZARDS:
7. Never try to spray fixative by
blowing air from your mouth through a
tube. You might accidently swallow the
contents.
 PRECAUTIONS:
1. Use the dustless variety of pastels, chalks,
etc. Asthmatics might want to switch to
oil pastels or a similar non-dusty media.
2. Spray fixatives are ought to be used in
spray area that exhausts to the outside
but if exhaust fans are not available in
studio, it is advised to do the fixing
outdoors with a NIOSH (National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health)
 PRECAUTIONS:
3. Excess pastels and charcoals should not be
blown manually with your mouth. Instead, tap
the built-up dust so it falls on the
floor. Ideally, it is best to use a
dusting brush to remove excess build-ups.
4. Use a wet mop or wet-wipes to clean
all surfaces from dust.
5. If the accidental inhalation of dust becomes
a problem, a respirator may be needed
INTERNATIONAL ART REGULATIONS
With all identified health hazards about art and
craft materials, a lot of artists are switching
to less toxic materials or find media made
from organic materials, usually the water-based
types.
The Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act
(LHAMA) requires any art materials to bear a
warning for health hazards and material
toxicity. All these materials were reviewed by
expert Board Certified Toxicologist.
INTERNATIONAL ART REGULATIONS
To assure the materials that you’re
buying is safe, look for the “conforms
to ATSM D-4236 certification” which
means that all potentially hazardous
compounds of the art materials have
been clearly labeled under the LHAMA
standard.