As you all know I am firmly in the acrylic camp though will use enamels and even lacquers if the need arises. I have air brushed acrylics for the past three years with no clogging problems. I have a new basement work room that I can spray paint in and have even placed exhaust fans in the windows at times. The ease of clean-up with water and isopropyl alcohol have sold me on acrylics.
Everyone is different and I don't doubt Terry in the least but the solvents used in enamels and lacquers are far harsher to the majority. Take this article from our Aussies:
HAZEL DOONEY has long savoured the creamy texture of high-gloss enamel paint and the ''perfect veneer'' that emerges after she sands it back. Collectors also like the glossy, Manga-style characters she paints on large boards.
But it's a toxic love affair and after almost 15 years of a range of nasty side-effects, Dooney is ditching the medium. Other than already commissioned works, she will no longer produce enamel paintings.
Dooney is not the first artist to abandon enamel paint after suffering rashes, blisters and nosebleeds. But gallery owners say it could make enamel works more sought-after.
The death of Dooney's father, Thomas Dooney, in January, from cancer, was the catalyst for the change, making her think about the health risks of long exposure to the paint and its fumes. Wearing gloves and a face mask helped but did not eradicate all symptoms, she says.
''I would get a red, blotchy rash on my chest and neck, my skin would break out in itchy sores, [the paint fumes] dried out the inside of my nose'', causing nosebleeds.
Exposure to paints and solvents, especially when ventilation is poor, can cause nausea and irritate skin, according to WorkCover NSW. Longer-term effects include asthma and lung cancer.
Safety sheets provided by paint suppliers advise people to wear eye protection and gloves when using high-gloss enamel paint. Some brands warn that prolonged skin contact may lead to dermatitis. Inhaling paint fumes may irritate airways and cause headaches and dizziness, among other things.
One artist, Jeremy Kibel, recognised for the use of enamel in his landscapes and backgrounds, has also suffered serious side effects from the paint and uses it only in small amounts.
''I used to use it because it was cheap,'' Kibel says. ''The stuff is horrid. I was getting smoker's cough from the fumes. When you use it all the time you get blistering in your nose.''
Kibel's GP advised him to stop using the paint .
Or this from a web site on model cars:
I use Testor's enamel spray paint for my models, and have all my windows in my room open and a fan running fresh air into the room everytime i spray. Recently though, even with all these measures, ive been feeling nauseous, short of breath, mild chest pains, from even small spurts. It cant be a growing old thing--I'm only fourteen. The question: should I be wearing a dustmask, respirator, aqualung or whatever with this stuff, or is something else not right?
