toxicity of genuine maganese blueApproveRejectUn-ApproveSubscribeUn-Unsubscribe
Question asked 2023-12-24 13:02:28 ...
Most recent comment 2023-12-31 18:33:46
Pigments
Oil Paint
Hello MITRA administrators,
I had a question regarding materials safety. I was recently able to acquire several tubes of genuine manganese blue oil paint. (It is, genuinely, magical. I won’t wax too poetic about how wonderful and unique it is, but I would really like to continue working with it.) The general word-of-mouth consensus among artists regarding the reason for lack of availability of the pigment today is that it is quite toxic.However, CAMEO lists the health hazards as identical to those of manganese violet, which is generally considered fairly safe by artists.
So, how much more hazardous is genuine manganese blue really, compared to most pigments that are currently readily available? (I generally try to follow strict studio safety and hygiene practices for all paints, regardless of how “safe” the pigment is considered.)
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Moderator Answer
(koo schadler)
On The Color Of Pigment Art Data Base (https://www.artiscreation.com/blue.html#PB31) I was able to find a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for Manganese Blue, attached here. The Color of Pigment website rates Manganese Blue (Color Index Name PB33) as "B" on their toxicity scale:
"B = Possible hazard if carelessly handled, ingested in large amounts or over long periods of time. Avoid dust & spray. Manganese is an essential micro nutrient in the human body, but ingesting, injecting or snorting too much manganese can cause diarrhea and a progressive nervous disorder which is similar to Parkinson's disease."
For comparison, "B" is the same rating given to Irgazine Yellow and Cadmium Red.
From what I understand, the pigment was discontinued because it's production creates toxic byproducts, and increasingly strict environmental regulations in Germany (where the color was produced) made it prohibitive to keep making the color. I think, to some degree, the toxicity of its production is conflated with the pigment itself, and this has increased the perception of Manganese Blue as extremely toxic. Granted, you don't want to eat or inhale Manganese Blue (or any pigments, for that matter) but I don't think it's on par with, for example, lead, arsenic or mercury-based pigments. Handle with common sense (aways use a dust mask with dry pigments; keep pigments away from children, pets; don't smoke, eat or drink around art materials; dispose of waste materials properly, etc.), as you seem to be doing, and my understanding is you can work with it safely (just as one can with cadmiums, cobalts, etc.).
SDS for Manganese Blue.pdf
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