Safe Finishes

john · Post by **john** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:10 pm

This has been a topic in more than one thread on this forum, but today I realised a danger than even I had missed up until now. The reason for that comment will become apparent below.

In my latest issue of a Canadian Woodworking magazine, there were plans for a very nice set of wall cabinets, shelving and work surface for a child's room. The suggested finish was milk paint, and it was suggested that there is no question it was safe. That may apply to most people, but two of my grandchildren (now grown) are allergic to milk products including the milk protein, casein, from which milk paint is made. Any contact with a milk product can mean serious medical problems for the kids, and believe me they have had their share of bad experiences. Covering it with urathane might not be sufficient to avoid a problem if the finish gets chipped or worn.

With all the attention paid to lead and solvents in the posts here, and elsewhere, I never thought of the exposure to something like milk paint or other alergens that might affect a portion of the population. That is until now.

Just thought I would pass this along.

John

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:48 pm

Good Post John! Thanks for the thought!!!!

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:14 pm

That is not something I'd have thought of... I've also heard of people with latex intolerance, would latex paint be a danger to them??? All sort of things are now flooding my mind.... Things like storing things in "clean" peanut butter jars, I understand that even minor amounts of that can lead to problems with that...

Perhaps the lead law needs to be expanded to cover more then lead????

Ed

curiousgeorge · Post by **curiousgeorge** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:21 pm

Yeah! Sure, ED! That is exactly what we need. More laws to protect us idiots that are too stupid to know how to protect ourselves.

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:37 pm

I was being a bit of wise guy about these issues, especially the "law" issue as I knew it would most likely draw comments.

Let me say that I had a lot of intolerance as a child. I couldn't eat anything citrus, no tomatoes or their by products, no pets, Palmolive soap turned me into a hive monster. Most of it went away with age, things like banana and grapes I can eat as long as I eat them with something else and I can eat a nominal amount of watermelon and the like items canatlopes/musk melons. My reactions were more discomforts the anything. Things that trigger anaphylaxis... are the worst and can be fatal. That is a bit more then a discomfort.

So I really do respect the issue but it would be very hard to protect every one from every thing some one might have a problem with. Part of the problem is we do not know of all the potential results of our "finish". An item like milk paint would not be some thing that rings any of my bells but as stated it can be an issue for some people. How many more issues remain unknown to all of us. I've never used milk paints so do they have anything on the can about this issue? If you watch food packaging they will have warnings like processed in a facility that processes nuts or how ever that goes... I'm guess they either do that because it is the law or they are protecting themselves from legal action????

I'd like to be an educated wood finisher if that is possible. I rather police myself then have the government do it. How about you?

Ed

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:00 am

So do you have to label a walnut item you made as coming from a nut producing tree?
All we can do is be as careful as we can be.

kalynzoo · Post by **kalynzoo** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:06 am

Ok guys, I'm going to clean out the shop before the twins arrive next week.

No latex or milk paint, I'm currently searching the net for a soy based milk like paint, with food colors that do not contain natural red or yellow...both very bad.

Also plan to go back to horse glue...poor horsey. And I will only use poly-unsaturated oils prior to buffing with natural bees wax from bees guaranteed to be non-africanized.
Oh, did I mention that we leave only 5 or so miles from the Santa Susana Pass, a toxic nuclear and chemical clean up site...and the Gov has been debating for 13 years how to START cleaning it up.

Also I breathe Los Angeles smog daily, and I eat food tainted with pesticides.

I am so glad that someone with a greater understanding of safety than I is out there to protect me.

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:16 am

reible wrote:I was being a bit of wise guy about these issues, especially the "law" issue as I knew it would most likely draw comments.... ... I rather police myself then have the government do it. How about you?

Ed

I do knot have a problem with a law requiring labels that tell what is in a product. I do have a problem with a law that prevents use of a product.

curiousgeorge · Post by **curiousgeorge** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:34 am

Amen, Tim. You can not legislate responsibility. That is up to the individual and, I'm sad to say, individual responsibility seems to be sorely lacking in today's society. That has to be instilled through family values and teaching, NOT legislation. This generation, as parents, seem to have dropped the ball on this one.

dicksterp · Post by **dicksterp** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:15 pm

curiousgeorge wrote:Amen, Tim. You can not legislate responsibility. That is up to the individual and, I'm sad to say, individual responsibility seems to be sorely lacking in today's society. That has to be instilled through family values and teaching, NOT legislation. This generation, as parents, seem to have dropped the ball on this one.

Not all parents have dropped the ball. There are some (a few) who seem to think that they know what is best for all of us and raise such an obnoxious stink about it that it gets passed into law or regulation.

If there is anything I can't stand, it is a goody two shoes telling me what is best or correct for me to do, say, eat, or think. I'm a big boy and can make my own decisions. (rant off)