The Book Arts space takes your health and safety seriously. Anyone participating in learning and research in the Book Arts space must participate in Safety Training.
There are three ways toxic materials can enter the body:
We have selected inks and cleaning solutions for printing and cleaning that have lower toxicity, however, these materials should not be inhaled or ingested. Lead type is used for printing and particular caution should be used when handling this material.
Letterpress printers have used lead metal type for over six hundred years to compose and print books and ephemera. Metal type is a composite of lead as well as antimony and tin (see Lead type, or metal type, is “a class of metals used in the printing industry, [which] generally consist of Pb-Sb-Sn [Lead-Antimony-Tin] alloys. Small amounts of copper are added to increase hardness for some applications” (Lead and Lead Alloys, Metals Handbook Desk Edition, 602–608).
Handling lead type represents potential exposure to lead. Lead is a neurotoxin and when absorbed in the bloodstream leads to headaches, tiredness, stomach pains, constipation, and loss of appetite (see WorkSafeAlberta, Occupational Health and Safety Practices: A Guide for Printers, 71).
The Safety Training and Lead Exposure Control Plan provide guidance on mitigating lead exposure. In short: a combination of hygiene and personal protective equipment will minimize lead exposure.
The Book Arts space uses Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks which are formulated to be safely and easily washed away with soap and water and do not require solvents. For more about Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks see the University of Saskatchewan "Safer Printmaking" (see University of Saskatchewan. Safer Printmaking).
Lead metal type and the presses (such as rollers) are cleaned with a combination of dish soap and water and/or vegetable oil as recommended by the University of Saskatchewan "Safer Printmaking." The Book Arts space does not permit use of more toxic cleaning solutions such as paint thinner, turpentine, or naphtha/toluene. Mineral spirits will only be used by UVic Libraries staff.
Glues and pastes used in bookbinding are PVA glue (polyvinyl acetate) or white glue (these are water soluble, wash off easily, and rarely irritate the skin). Paste is made from methyl cellulose or wheat starch.
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