Title: The Health Risks of Painting with Oils, Acrylics, and Watercolors - Artsy
Headings: Your Paints May Contain Toxic Chemicals. Here’s How to Avoid Harming Yourself and the Environment
Creativity
Your Paints May Contain Toxic Chemicals. Here’s How to Avoid Harming Yourself and the Environment
Photo by Jenna S.
Know what your paints are made of
Paint swatches.
Be aware of toxic pigments
Paint and materials.
Make your studio safe
Follow best practices for disposing of paint and materials

Content: Check the tubes and find a pigment that has the color you love, without the warning labels. Follow best practices for disposing of paint and materials
Studio workshop of artist Marc Desgrandchamps in Lyon, France, 2016. Photo by Catherine Panchout/Sygma via Getty Images. Painting generates a lot of waste, from used paper towels or rags to pigments suspended in solvent or water, and it’s important to dispose of these as hazardous waste—it’s the key to being a responsible painter. All paint, regardless of medium, contains the same pigments, which means that acrylic and oil painters—including those who use water-mixable oils—need to save their paint sludge and rags, and bring them to special disposal sites. Nothing should go down the drain or into household garbage where it will eventually find its way into the water system. This sounds like a lot of bother, but it’s actually not. Reclaiming paint sludge is as simple as finding a container with a good, tight lid and bringing it to a chemical disposal site; many cities and municipalities list these online. They also often make it free and as convenient as possible to drop off waste, in an effort to keep toxins from being improperly dumped.