Make Safety a Priority

Some Basic Safety Tips

• Do not smoke, eat or drink when working with ceramic materials.
• Do not wear contact lenses when working in dusty environments. Dust particles may become trapped between the lens and the surface of the eye.
• Wear a smock or apron when working with ceramic materials, especially glaze materials, in order to prevent the spread of irritants or toxic materials. The smock or apron should be left in the work area. Wash them regularly and wash separately.

Material Handling Tips

Keep in mind that ceramic materials should not be inhaled or ingested. Even so, ceramic materials can be handled safely with the proper safety equipment and a few precautions.

• Do not use any utensils that will later be used in the kitchen.
• Use rubber or latex gloves when working with colorants and glaze materials.
• Do not handle materials used to produce ceramics when you have open cuts or wounds.
• Always wash your hands thoroughly when you are through working, even if you used gloves.
• Be sure to put away materials where small children cannot reach them. If there is an accidental ingestion, call a doctor or your local poison control center, listed with emergency numbers in the front of many telephone books.

Proper Use and Storage of Tools

Most tools used in working clay are fairly safe, however sharp tools such as potter’s needles should always be stored with the needle shaft encased in some manner. This may be simply using the small plastic sheath that generally comes with them, or else poking the needle’s point into a cork.

You must also be aware that a cutting wire needs to be treated with respect. Children need to be cautioned that this is a tool, not a toy. A cutting wire should never be looped around a neck or limb. It is best to store cutting wires with the wire wrapped into a coil or a figure eight and then fastened with a twist tie or string.

Keep Dust Under Control

Dust, for potters, can be a very serious problem. Many of the materials we work with can have adverse effects on our health.

• Control Dust in Your Pottery Studio: information on equipment you may need to use and tips on dust control.

Know What Is Toxic

There are some materials that potters use that are poisonous. You need to inform yourself about these substances and make certain that they are proper labeled and stored.

• Poisons in Pottery: a list of poisonous materials used in pottery.
• Use Labels with Toxic Ceramic Materials: keep and refer to labels and Material Safety Data Sheets.

Other Pottery Materials to Watch Out For

Besides toxic materials, there are other ceramic materials which are irritating to the lungs, nose, throat and eyes. Long-term exposure to pottery dust often has cumulative effects and can result in emphysema.

Materials which are problematic include:

• Alumina: found in most clays and glazes.
• Asbestos and refractory fiber blankets: shed invisible filaments and used for insulation and kiln mitts.
• Gum Arabic: used to make dry glaze coats less fragile on bisqueware before the glaze firing.
• Silica: always present in ceramic materials and accumulates in the lung tissue.
• Mica, muscovite, vermiculite, and lipidolite: may carry traces of asbestos and are serious lung irritants.
• Talc: used to minimize shrinkage, it acts similarly to silica.

Kiln Safety

Kilns are very safe when used in the proper manner. Care must be taken, however, to treat them with respect. Not only do they reach very high temperatures, but they also release gases during the firing process.

• Use Your Kiln Safely: information on protective gear, vernting, gaseous emissions, and safety tips.