Occupational Hazards Faced by Women Key area: Professional artists
A visitor to an exhibit of art is immediately jolted into an awareness of media and materials.
Paintings of acrylic on glass, oil paints, tempera on vinyl, oil on photopaper; sculptures of twisted steel, soldered aluminum, welded iron, textile dyes—all convey an air of an industrial workshop.
Should the visitor happen to be a doctor, he might ponder on occupational risks to the artist in the exercise of his craft.
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
Occupational Hazards faced by professional artists. Musculo-skeletal disorder Low back and shoulder pain Spondilytis
Sight Problems Swelling of the eye retina Eye sight disorders
Psychological
Multiple overlapping roles
Materials Skin problems Irritation
Inhalation of fumes, powders and vapors
Stress
Herniated Disk
Rash
Reproduction risks Low sex drive
Headache
Menstrual Disorders
Nausea
Mutations
Irritability Sore feet
Chronic Depression
Burn
Infections
Swelling in legs
Muscular fatigue Stiffness in neck and shoulders Joint problems
Aberrant behavior
Low level poisoning
Birth Defects
Interference with normal organ development
Frequent cold
Miscarriages
Asthma
Spontaneous Abortions
Irritability Varicose Veins
Pregnancy Risk
Respiratory problems
Higher concentrations of Lead benzene carbon monooxide decrease iron in blood leading to anemia
Mercury poisioning in infants
Cancer
PROBLEM STATEMENT Women artists being vulnerable to the materials during menstruation and pregnancy and prolonged working hours. Multiple overlapping roles adds on to the suffering. These hazards can be prevented by using preventive measures and awareness. Addressing the symptoms which are prevailing and classifying them in medical disorders. Thus, creating an understanding of the hazards.
TOXIC SUBSTANCES It is estimated that we are exposed to over 20,000 known toxic chemicals, and 500 new chemicals are introduced into the market every year, most of which have never been tested for their long-term effects on the human body - Professor Michael McCann, the author of Artist Beware
Toxic Substances 1.Vapours from art materials such as turpentine, toluene, or other solvents in paint removers, lacquer thinners, silkscreen inks, etc., which evaporate from open containers 2.Mists accumulated in the air from spraying paints or fixatives, airbrushing, using spray guns, etc. 3.Gases from etching metals, working with photographic baths, welding, or firing kilns 4.Metallic fumes from welding, soldering, or foundry casting 5.Dusts from pottery making, mixing dry pigments or dyes, grinding, and woodworking 6.Lead content in Oil paints How Toxic Substances Enter the Body Toxic substances enter the body in three principal ways. 1. Absorption through the skin Example: you can absorb a lacquer thinner or turpentine if it splashes your skin 2. Inhalation through nose and mouth Example: you can inhale dusts while you mix dyes or pottery glazes 3. Ingestion through eating, drinking, or smoking in your work area Example: dusts can mingle with food left in an open container while you mix a glaze
Reproduction Risks 1. Toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde may cause menstrual disorders. 2. Other toxins, such as lead or benzene, are called mutagens because they change the genetic structure of men's and women's chromosomes and cause mutations in the first and future generations of offspring. 3. Also, due to prolonged standing, a fixed posture and odd lifestyle - a women is exposed to the risk of menstrual cramps, excessive bleeding, fatigue during menstruation 4. A pregnant woman is more vulnerable as compared to other times due to physiological changes which body goes through during pregnancy. 5. Higher concentrations of solvents can circulate through the bloodstream during pregnancy because a pregnant woman's blood volume increases by 30 to 40 percent. This increase means that the amount of iron in the blood decreases, so a pregnant artist may become more vulnerable to chemicals (such as lead, benzene, and carbon monoxide) that can cause anaemia. 6. Chemicals such as pentachlorophenol, lithium, mercury and ethyl alcohol can interfere with normal organ development, causing birth defects. 7. There are also higher concentrations of inhaled substances in the lungs of a pregnant artist because she needs more oxygen and breathes more deeply, thus becoming more susceptible to respiratory problems. 8. mercury poisoning in infants has been caused by mercury that was present in breast milk. Solvents have also been found in breast milk.
FEMALE Before Conception
loss of sex drive
FEMALE During Pregnancy
increased vulnerability of mother
FETUS Before Conception
conception prevented or made more difficult
NEWBORN After Birth
toxic effects on newborn from chemicals transmitted in breast milk
lowered fertility (production of toxic effects on infant from chemicals complications from miscarriages, spontaneous mutations from damaged egg or damaged eggs or decreased ability to contaminating living area or parents' abortions, etc. sperm ovulate) clothes, hair, etc.
sterility
exposure to teratogens: developmental damage resulting in fetal death, birth defects, growth retardation, premature birth, low birth weight, etc.
toxic effects on child being exposed to chemicals in art studio
genetic damage to eggs (mutations)
exposure to toxic chemicals - miscarriages, organ damage, spontaneous abortions, etc.
exposure to some carcinogens possible cancer during childhood or later
menstrual changes or disorders
cancer of reproductive organs
Aided by Reproductive Hazards in the Workplace Grant No. 15-43 from the March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation, and by a grant from the C.S. Fund. Copyright Center for Safety in the Arts 1983
Suggestions for the artists 1. Keep your work area and home separate. 2. If you don’t know a substance, try to find out about it rather than trying it on your own. 3. Substitute safer materials for more toxic ones; working with waterbased materials is safer than working with solvent-based materials or powders. 4. Inspect your work area for adequate ventilation, proper storage of materials, etc. 5. Wear work clothes or coveralls to protect you when you work. Wear gloves, goggles, and a respirator if necessary. 6. Wash work clothes separately from the family's clothes. 7. Do not eat or drink in a work area. 8. Do not drink alcoholic beverages if you are pregnant. Besides being a known teratogen, ethyl alcohol can produce more severe effects. 9. Do not smoke. Besides the known teratogenic effects of carbon monoxide, smoking can increase the amount of toxins that enter the lungs. 10.If employed as an artist or craftsperson by someone else during a pregnancy, consider asking you employer to transfer you to a non-hazardous work area. Such a transfer should not entail a loss of benefits during your pregnancy.
Suggestions for the material manufacturing companies 1. Promoting more ecological substitutes of the toxic solvents and materials. 2. Proper labeling of the materials. 3. Warning labels 4. Safety Manuals with the products 5. Preventive measures such as barrier cream, gloves, respiratory masks etc can be distributed with the materials as CSR.
Submitted by
Aayushi Sachdeva Semester 9 Film and Video Design MIT Institute of Design