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Flake white is dangerous only if you ingest it. For example, getting it on your fingers, and then transfering it to a foodsuff, such as a crakcer, or fruit, or to a cigarette so that when you take a drag to inhale, you suck lead laden smoke into your lungs. Otherwise, it's okay.
Some argue that lead white can interract adversely with other paints, and I believe it did a few hundred years ago, but there are an awful lot of paintings around from several hundred years ago that still look crisp and fresh even though lead white was the lightening agent used to paint the picture.
If you intend using an oil medium, you should also research and become familiar with the "fat over lean" theory. It means that when you start a painting, your medium contains not much oil. Each day, you use medium that is a little more oil and a little less turp/varnish. The idea is that you want the slowest drying part of your picture as the top layer. Theoretically, the bottom layers, being lean, will dry faster than the top layers, which contain more (fat) oil. If it were the other way around (lean over fat), the top layer would dry faster than the bottom layer, which would cause your paint to crack.
I don't believe that applies when you use an alkyd medium. At least, none of my paintings have cracked for more than 20 years, now.
Hopefully, somone else in this forum is, or will read this and correct me if I'm wrong.
I started using liquin because I painted at night until the wee hours, and then got up and painted in the morning. Bofore using an alkyd medium, my paint was often still wet. The alkyd medium gave me a "touch dry" paint by morning.
Finally, this the ways I do it. Doesn't mean it's right or that you have to or should do it this way.
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