Lead and Mercury?

[David Aimone]

All new LED bulbs that don't give off UV light!

If you're worried about finding them in a modern darkroom, the most likely source would be mercury salts from a broken compact fluorescent bulb.

[Cor]

Mercury:

For severely underexposed negatives: VMI Intensifier; works miracles, but nevertheless stay away from it because of high toxicity.

Lead

Toner for cyanotypes

Best,

Cor

[David Aimone]

Well, thanks everyone here for helping to rule out the darkroom as my major source of exposure. What a relief! I'll be doing some natural detoxifying with a doctor's guidance and ruling out any other possible current sources, if any. Could be older exposure. We did live in an old farmhouse but moved here 7 years ago...

[Bob Salomon]

In my old 6th grade Gilbert Chemistry Set I had both, and then lots of other stuff, all kept in my under stairs darkroom.

[David Aimone]

Well honestly, I don't know how long the stuff stays in your body, but I remember a friend of mine when I was about 10 or 12 had a bunsen burner, a crucible, and molds, and we used to make our own fishing sinkers from lead as well as fill molds of (ironically) skull and crossbones. Go figure! That was roughly 1970...

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

As other point out, if you used mercury or lead in the darkroom you would know it, and if you were careful you wouldn't have any in your body. I work with mercury in a fumehood and get tested annually. I have never had more than the typical level of mercury in my blood. I suspect the cause is environmental, so think about your (and your city's) water pipes, eating big fish like tuna or swordfish, living near coal burning plants and mines, as well as dozens of natural sources...

[David Aimone]

It's a mystery so far... but we're investigating as well as detoxifying...

Again, just glad to confirm it's not my art that's doing it...

[Struan Gray]

Sorry you're suffering. I was assuming you were worried about poisoning iron-based processes.

People who eat a lot of sushi can get elevated mercury levels, and lead paint and water pipes are still around in older habitation.

My school really did find mercury under the floorboards from historic spills - enough to put the mercury vapour level above modern safety recommendations - so if there's any chance a thermometer got broken somewhere near a favourite armchair it's worth checking.

Another source would be contaminated groundwater or soil. Drinking well water or growing your own food can expose you to nasties in the soil - this has happened several times around here when housing was built on former light industrial sites, but usually the contaminants are organic solvents not heavy metals.

[David Aimone]

Thanks, will look into all of the above. Our house is less than 15 years old, but we've been living here about half the time. We're in town, and there is an old railroad bed behind our house that is now a bike path. I don't spend a lot of time in the garden though.... :/

Sorry you're suffering. I was assuming you were worried about poisoning iron-based processes.

People who eat a lot of sushi can get elevated mercury levels, and lead paint and water pipes are still around in older habitation.

My school really did find mercury under the floorboards from historic spills - enough to put the mercury vapour level above modern safety recommendations - so if there's any chance a thermometer got broken somewhere near a favourite armchair it's worth checking.

Another source would be contaminated groundwater or soil. Drinking well water or growing your own food can expose you to nasties in the soil - this has happened several times around here when housing was built on former light industrial sites, but usually the contaminants are organic solvents not heavy metals.

[LabRat]

The good news about lead and mercury is A/generally not used anymore, B/the metals/compounds are heavy and tend to not go too far (and simply fall), C/tends to not go airborne unless well heated (then falls), D/the material itself is not so toxic as the oxidation on it, E/if you keep it off you and not in you (or others) you are fine, F/you would have had a major debilitating illness by now had you been well exposed...

Nowadays, the bigger problem is other things in our environments, that are substances that were "harmless" in the past, but now issues, such as interior preservatives, outgassing plastics, byproducts of man-made items/processes, things we cook with, stuff we eat was packaged in ???, what was our food/water exposed/processed to/with, pesticides, naturally occuring processes (molds, bacteria, vermin, etc), what we breath, eat, wear, and the strange number of allergies people now have etc...

When I got into lab work, I did research as what I would commonly be exposed to, as I was concerned as my grandfather worked in many factories over time, and passed from work related lung cancer... I had found that most of the common B/W chems were weaker than the related products under your kitchen sink, and with good housekeeping, practice, and good ventilation shouldn't be a problem... (But as soon as some people hear the term "chemicals" these days, they flash to waking dreams of industrial New Jersey/1950, Walter White, or something I can't imagine...)

But good to do an inventory of ALL the things around you in your environment, that may affect someone... And don't let this stuff make you crazy too... (Thinking Hurts!!!!) It always likely to be going around in this modern life...

Happy Hunting!!!

Steve K