I have never toned before but can see that this is something that i must do. I have basement darkroom with a decent fan ventilating to the outside. What safety precautions do I need to adhere to for selenium liquid toning and is Kodak Polytoner safer, better etc.

TIA ernie neit

-- Ernest Nitka (enitka@twcny.rr.com), July 05, 1999

Answers

Freshly mixed selenium toner emits quite a lot of ammonia, though as it ages the smell is far less noticable. Sulfur toners, such as Kodak Brown, Agfa Viradon, and Sepia redeveloper emit hydrogen sulfide ("rotten eggs"), which is toxic. Polytoner is a combination of both selenium and sulfur toners. I strongly suggest good ventilation!

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), July 05, 1999.

You should also not get your skin in contact with the selenium toner.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), July 06, 1999.

Selenium and sulphur toners need no darkroom. You might therefore consider toning your images in a different room where you can open a window.

-- Thomas Wollstein (wollstein@compuserve.com), July 06, 1999.

THE USE OF A PAPER FILTER PARTICLE MASK ALTHOUGH A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE IN THE SUMMER CAN ALSO REDUCE THE HAZARDS

-- DAVE DELLAR (davclare@wanet.com.au), August 06, 1999.

Excuse me, but a particle mask does not filter out gasses, only particulate matter, therefore it will be of no use whatever for toner fumes.

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), August 06, 1999.

You can get Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on Kodak products from their website. For other manufacturers, call them.

There is little inhalation hazard from selenium toner concentrate or working solution. If you were to spill some and let it dry, there would be a potential to generate a dust that could be inhaled. There should be no aerosolizing of the toner in any common use in a darkroom.

You do need to make sure that it does not get on your hands, clothes, or especially in your mouth. Wear gloves AND use tongs.

As pointed out dust masks DO NOT protect against any vapors or gases. They are very useful in a darkroom though, when you are mixing dry chemistry. For liquid materials either use good ventilation (best) or a chemical respirator. You can get good dual purpose respirator (chemical and particulate) from hardware stores, sold as paint spray masks. You need to change the cartridges as soon as you can smell any chemical odor while wearing the respirator. The chemical cartridges have a limited life span.

BTW my profession is occupational health and safety.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), August 09, 1999.