The Most Poisonous Paints Ever

People have been trying to make the prettiest colors we can for thousands of years. And sometimes, we've even used poison to do it. From lead white to arsenic Scheele's green and cobalt violet, here are just a few of the most toxic colors in the rainbow. We recommend that you look, but don't touch.

Hosted by: Tom Lum
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Sources:

[Carlo_von_Habsburg]

i love how cheerful tom looks while explaining how various poisons kill you

[rolfs]

Scheele's Green made the news in Germany this year because a number of libraries put their books with green covers from that time away for safety until they had determined whether it's dangerous to handle them. The result was basically "don't lick the covers" and I think that's good advice for _any_ library book.

[EmilySmirleGURPS]

Here's your regular reminder to never tip your paint brushes with your mouth, whether painting war gaming minis or landscapes. Wear protective gloves when working with solvents, and for the love of all things Open A Window!! Or have an extraction fan, or something! It's bad enough being a starving artist, don't add a health crisis to your list.

[MegaAstroFan]

Oh, Scheele's green was bad for the middle-class residents too! Victorian homes were humid (it's England after all) resulting in fungal growth, and some of those fungi could metabolize arsenic into a gaseous form.

[Brian-titt]

I love how they moved along the spectrum in the presentation (after White), from Red to Violet. Clever kids ;)

[disorganizedorg]

8:47 "The dose makes the poison" is a quote attributed to Paracelsus, who is regarded as the father of toxicology.

[RickySTT]

Some other pigments are worth mentioning:
• Cobalt blue is still in use, though it contains no arsenic.
• There is another chromium pigment, chromium oxide green, but this one is trivalent and relatively harmless.
P.S. Hexavalent chromium is the reason why chrome plating is so heavily regulated.

[SkywalkerAni]

I work in hazardous waste and paints are always fun to dispose of. Most of the time it's just oil based and flammable or water based and non flammable, but there's always the chance it can have fun additional stuff like chromium that makes it trickier to dispose of.

[Elaneonline]

Painter here, I've used or seen some of these pigments before and they really do pop. I haven't used it personally due to the labour involved in cleaning it up, but lead white has this beautiful, bright, clean, warm white that zinc and titanium white just don't quite match in oil paintings. Cadmium yellow is a favourite of mine and one I've used personally, and it really is something special. As long as you don't eat it, work in a ventilated environment, and wash it off if it gets on you, the risk really is pretty minimal. A lot of painters wear gloves and even masks for added protection.

[pappapiglet]

I am REALLY enjoying Tom as the host. He is so easy to listen to and engaging to hold your attention without being distracting.

[josefinameyer]

I thought he would mention the radium paint used for glow in the dark watch hands back in the day too, but this is a nice selection of poisonous paints! If you want more of this stuff, I think there's a shorts/TikTok creator out there who collects antique paints! They explain what is in it and show how they look on canvas in a safe way.

[MrHugemoth]

I didn't hear mention of bottom paint, the red stuff used on salt water boats and ships to thwart barnacles. Incredibly toxic but that is by design.

[madLphnt]

As an artist who paints in oils everyday, i assure you toxic fumes are something that i think of everyday.

[pirobotbeta]

Not a paint, but a while back I found a can of Lead Arsenate 'pest killer'...I tried to take it to the Fire Department, thinking they could dispose of it for me.
Nope, it wasn't on their list of 'bad chemicals'.
That was in 1973...Hazmat today would have cordoned off the street and put the house in a tent.

[JiveDadson]

Many artists still use lead white. It is tough, flexible, and does not flake. Artist grade lead white is available in the USA. The oil paint on a picture is safe. Just don't get it in your mouth or eyes. Or children. The pigment in powdered form is very dangerous if inhaled.

[Gnurklesquimp]

It doesn't help that cinnabar sounds so edible

[Stammer]

My brain always forgets that pigments don't just appear out of thin air. As scary as they can be, it's amazing how pretty they are.

[RickySTT]

You didn’t mention the cadmium colors—popular bright reds, oranges, and yellows. I notice that nowadays, less toxic “cadmium hue” paints are offered that imitate the colors of the cadmium paints.

[edi]

As a Chemist, most of them don't scare me. The keyword is bioavailability.
For instance, elemental mercury is not that toxic. People actually drank it, and 99.999% went out by the other end again... However, it's not safe, because breathing vapours are hazardous, though again not as dangerous, as drinking water-soluble mercury salts, or breathing, or touching organic mercury compounds, which can be absorbed via your skin!
With lead and arsenic, it's a similar story, though elemental arsenic is more reactive and can become ionic and thus water-soluble.
Now, if you put such dangerous elements into ceramics or lacquer, then you can touch it without any problems, as they are innert.

[imarockstarification]

I love that they went through the color spectrum