Watermixable oil paints: to be or not to be toxic?

[Renee Cook]

A few years back I used watermixable oil paints by Grumbacher Max. I thought that they were o'kay but I found that I went back to the traditional oils. Recently, I have been reinvestigating these watermixable paints again. There is one extra bedroom upstairs in our condo where I have my studio. The air circulation is not great even with the window opened. As a result this forces me to paint outside. Where I live nice weather is hard to come by. It is either too, too hot or too, too cold or too, too rainy. So, that leaves about a month or two. Then mix in the 40 hour work week and other daily living responsibilities I'm left with about a month, maybe.

Time is very valuable in life. Today, I went to the store to check out the watermixable oils. I saw the Windsor Newton ones. But I noticed on the back of the Grumbacher Cadmium Yellow tube the following disclaimer: "Because of the cadmium the state of California knows of incidences of where cadmium has caused cancer due to inhalation." So, therefore, I take that to mean that watermixable oils can still be toxic and should be used in a well ventilated area. But it seems that they advertise them as nontoxic.

Question? Are watermixable oils nontoxic? Also, I thought cadmium was harmful if it was ingested or touched at times for some people. What does this mean when they say if it is inhaled?

Thanks for your reply and advice!

Renee

[Karin Wells]

Genesis is the ONLY NON-TOXIC oil paint that I know about.

Genesis "feels" like traditional oil, "paints" like traditional oil, "looks" like traditional oil and dries when you want it to.

I am now using a lot of it with great results.

[Peter J. Fasi]

When it comes to paint, the toxicity refers to a pigment's propensity to cause cancer, illness or death. These are typically the pigments that contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, etc. The warning regarding inhalation typically concerns the use of a diluted mixture in an atomizer or airbrush. It does not refer to smelling the paint. A well ventilated area is recommended with any medium. This could be no more than a window that is barely open to let fresh air in. I've lived in Michigan and understand the weather conditions. A small space heater can be used on cold days to counteract the cold air coming in through the window.

Not all pigments are considered toxic. If that is a concern, there are acceptable substitute pigments in any paint line.

[Steven Sweeney]

Be sure to note for further information and viewpoints the substantial development of additional threads in this Safety and Toxicity Issues section, including some prior postings about water-miscible oil paints.