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Fumes from oil paint
Member asked:
Hi! I would like information about fumes from oil paint, I am not concerned about solvents, rather just the paint. I have heard Gamblin makes the “safest”. I know cad’s and cobalt are toxic but do they produce fumes on the pallet? I have heard Gamblin makes a titanium white that is not toxic on the pallet, no fumes, ( others have zinc dioxide ) Any info on this subject would be appreciated. Thank you.
Answer by Michael Skalka:
If you are using standard oil paints where the ingredients are pigment ground in linseed or other oils, you do not have to be concerned about any fumes. What you smell when you use straight oil paint is the linseed oil. Safflower and poppy oil ground colors will have a slightly different smell, but not to worry about those either. Paints that do have some solvents mixed into them are Alkyd oil colors. Paints like Griffin Alkyds or Gamblin Fastmatte colors will contain some mineral spirits. The mineral spirits are odorless so you will not detect a distinct mineral spirit or solvent odor. None of the pigments should be of concern with regards to fumes. The heavy metal pigments, cobalt, cadmium or even lead white don’t give off fumes. Use safe studio practices and don’t eat while painting or smear any paints on your skin. BTW: Zinc oxide (not dioxide) the zinc only bond with one oxygen, not two, is fairly safe. Zinc oxide is the classic lifeguard’s strip of white that they place on their noses to stop sunburn. It is also found in most of the baby ointments used for diaper rash. It has skin healing properties. Artist discuss zinc oxide as it pertains to paint because of its propensity to cause paint films to become brittlet and crack, not because of any concern with toxicity. Hope that calms any fears about pigments and binders like drying oils.
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