Darkroom ventilation problem?

[jamespayne]

I noticed that the paper I used to focus the enlarger lens turned black after making some prints. I am very anxious about that phenomenon. Does that mean that the chemicals (especially the paper developer) evaporate and make the paper developed? If that is the case, I must have breathed in quite some developer which is supposed to be highly poisonous! (Correct me if I'm wrong)

Limited by the size of my apartment, I have to use the bathroom as my darkroom. It does have a ventilation fan. However, after some time, there is a smell accumulated in the bathroom (probably from the chemicals). So I suspect the ventilation in my bathroom is not very good.

I don't know if there's a way to improve it, otherwise I fell reluctant to make prints because I am not sure how this would affect my health. The thing is, there's no way of having a window in the "darkroom". So what do others do to keep their darkroom air fresh?

[domaz]

You exposed a piece of paper to light, didn't develop it, and it turned a different color? That's normal- all the photosensitive materials I've seen paper or film do that.
I doubt that evaporating developer could develop anything in the room from evaporation. When a water solution evaporates it usually leaves most of the chemicals behind. Think sea water- when it evaporates the salt gets left behind. The same probably happens with photo chemicals that are mostly water like developer.

[bigdog]

You exposed a piece of paper to light, didn't develop it, and it turned a different color? That's normal.

This is correct. If the OP wishes to use a piece of actual print paper for focusing, take a fresh sheet and run it through fixer and wash normally. But do NOT expose to light or developer. It will stay white longer ... :)

[Sevo]

For one, current ready-mixed developers are not particularly poisonous, most are classified as merely harmful or mildly poisonous - some cooking ingredients, like table salt or many spices, have similar or even worse ratings. Not will developer evaporate anything other than the contained water, at any rate unless you spray it.

For the other, development speeds up intensifies the process of blackening by a few magnitudes, but silver salts do eventually blacken all by themselves when exposed to light - that discovery was at the very root of the invention of photography. Up until recently, there even was special "print out" paper not intended for development but rather for direct blackening in a contact copy by exposing it to strong light for a few hours.

[jamespayne]

Thanks a lot for all the responses. Now I feel much more comfortable making prints in my tiny darkroom :)

My grandmother was a nurse. She used to heat up vinegar to sterilize my room whenever someone of my family got cold. I can still remember the uncomfortable smell :) That's why I was worried if the developer may get evaporated into the air.

bigdog, thanks for the trick for getting a white print paper to focus. I will try it next time.