Substituting safe materials for more hazardous ones is the most effective precaution. General rules include:

a. Always choose water based or latex paints and other products over solvent containing ones whenever possible

b. If solvents must be used, Material Safety Data Sheets can be used to choose the least toxic ones.

c. Choose products that do not create dusts and mists. Avoid materials in powder form or aerosol products.

d. Avoid products containing cancer causing chemicals whenever possible.

2. Personal Hygiene

Practicing good hygiene in the studio is one of the simplest and least practiced ways to avoid exposure to toxic substances.

a. Never eat, drink or smoke in studios and other environments where there are toxic materials. Dust settles in coffee cups, vapors can be absorbed by sandwiches, and hands can transfer substances to food and cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is especially hazardous because some substances inhaled through a cigarette can be converted by the heat to more hazardous forms.

b. Keep eating and living areas separate from working areas.

c. Wash your hands thoroughly after work, before eating, using the bathroom and applying make-up.

d. Wear special work clothes and remove them after work. If possible leave them in the workshop and wash them frequently and separately from other clothing.

e. Never use tuluene, turpentine, kerosene, or other solvents to remove paints, inks, or stains on your hands. If soap and water is inadequate, use baby oil or a waterless cleaner. Follow with soap and water and a lotion to prevent drying.

f. Before leaving studio, wash under you fingernails. Keep a nailbrush near your studio sink. Keep nails trim and clean; do not bite or pick nails.

g. Never hold brushes or tools in your teeth or mouth

h. To prevent mechanical accidents, recognize your physical, emotional and mental limits. Eat and sleep appropriately. Decreased alertness, often due to hunger or fatigue is a major cause of accidents.

i. Get an annual medical checkup with a physician trained to recognize work related health problems.

3. Keep studio clean and organized

Continuous, diligent monitoring and cleaning of the studio reduces the risk of accident and fire. Maximize hazard free space in the studio by designating a minimal area where potentially hazardous materials are used.

a. Do not use cleaning methods which raise dust. Wet mop floors followed by vacuuming, and sponge surfaces.

b. Have available the types of face, eye protection, gloves, wash-up facilities, and first aid equipment needed to clean up hazardous spills.

c. Clean up small liquid spills immediately. Wear protective clothing, especially gloves and a mask, when cleaning up toxic spills. If in an emergency, rags, sawdust or paper is used to mop up flammable spills, place soaked materials in a sealed fireproof container. Preferred cleaning materials include activated charcoal, diatomaceous earth, or cat litter (free of deodorizing chemicals). Once liquid has been absorbed by these nonflammable materials, dispose of them in a heavy-duty trash bag.

d. Keep the studio clean and free of hazards such as objects, debris, or wet, slippery floors. Trying to work on litter strewn tables reduces the effective control over tools and equipment, leading to careless actions. The most common circumstance to accidents is carelessness.

e. Properly stored tools remain in good condition longer. Maintain all equipment and tools in good working order.

f. Keep extension cords and hoses off the floor by coiling them onto a hook when not in use.

4. Ventilation

Effective ventilation is essential to making art safely.

Ventilation is the primary environmental issue that affects artists who work with hazardous materials.

Poor ventilation means that toxic materials in the form of dusts, fumes, gases, mists, or vapors can be inhaled. Agents can be absorbed in nose and mouth, some get to the lungs, and a few are absorbed into the circulatory system. Additionally, the accumulation of vapors from flammable liquids can create a potentially explosive situation.

Appropriate ventilation provides protection for artists so that many art materials can be used without threat.

A common recommendation on product labels is USE ONLY WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. Such a nonspecific phrase is of little help.

A blowing rather than exhausting fan in the studio may reintroduce toxic chemicals into one's personal intake area instead of carrying them away. Taking work outdoors to be sprayed or blowing vapors out a window with a strategically place fan may not be sufficient. Airflow varies with wind, temperature and air pressure. In many instances, ceiling mounted down-draft or reversible fans do more to stir dusts, fumes and vapors into personal intake areas than to provide effective ventilation.

Some artists mistakenly believe that airborne substances they encounter are heavier than air, and are therefore found closer to the floor. However, floor fans can bring substantial quantities of undesirable substances to one's personal intake environment. To improve ventilation significantly, floor fans must effectively dilute or remove contaminated air from the workplace.