As we all know, modelers use lots of dangerous and potentially poisonous products. Everybody is careful using blades because mistakes gives immediate, visible and painful consequences. I'm not sure we use the same attention using glue and paints: every single bottle of paint and glue is covered in warnings for health and environment. "do not allow product to come into contact with skin, eyes or mouth. Do not inhale vapors." is a frequent warning, but do we really take enough precautions using these products? I noticed lots of modelers don't use protections like latex gloves or mask while gluing or painting. I'm not sure what consequences could bring frequent exposure to this kind of chemical products: maybe warnings are just a way to decline any responsibility even if risk is very low? I dont know. I don't want to be misunderstood: i am not talking about deadly consequences, but allergy, hyper-sensitivity, asthma, etc. are serious enough for me to take some precautions. I built my first model 10 years ago, but I began to care about the subject when i bought an airbrush 2 year ago: I didnt use any sort of protection for skin or lungs when i used to brush paint my models, just left the model drying in a closed room with open windows. Now I use gloves when possible, always wear a mask when airbrushing and I never paint if i cant keep the window open. So, coming to the question: what kind of direct (gloves etc) and indirect (open windows, etc) protection, if any, do you use when modeling?
Another question is about waste. When you clean your airbrush or brushes, usually you end up with a glass full of paint mixed with water or thinner: how do you get rid of it? I dont know if pouring this kind of waste in the sink is a good idea, but as far as i know this is what happens often. One thing we could do is gathering paint, enamels, thinner residue and bring them to a paint shop that surely has a better chance to get rid of these products correctly. What do you do with your chemical waste? Does anybody know a good and safe way to get rid of them?
I think the keyword is "frequency": careless use of modeling products wouldn't bring any relevant consequence to both health and environment if we build one model every two years. If we build six, ten or more models per year i believe both subjects deserve at least to be faced. What do you think about it?
Frankie