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>As I check over another set of blueline proofs, the distinctive, pungent
>odor makes me wonder how toxic the outgases are that I'm inhaling -- anyone
>know?
I'm not sure exactly what solvent is involved in your particular blueline
process (there are several, each using slightly different solvents). If
your printer will tell you the solvents used, you can easily find hazard
info from a couple of sources.
First, ask your printer for the Material Safety Data Sheets that they are
required to provide for their employees who handle this stuff (OSHA
regulations in the US; similar documentation/notification also required by
many other countries).
Next, try contacting nearby public, university or corporate research
libraries. Most libraries with decent science collections carry one of the
standard references on hazardous materials. There are several good ones,
which give very detailed information about human and environmental effects
of chemicals.
Just remembered---the Canadian equivalent of OSHA used to have a report
(available free to any Canadian citizen---neat!) on hazards associated with
various copying/duplicating processes. It was aimed primarily at office
workers using mimeograph machines, but covered several different
solvent-based processes as I recall. Perhaps one of our Canadian lurkers
could find out whether it (or an updated version) is still available.
There used to be a small fee for non-Canadians who ordered these
reports---less than $5 Canadian, when I ordered one for a client about
three years ago.
hope this helps
@Kat _______________________________ katnagel -at- eznet -dot- net
Kat Nagel MasterWork Consulting Services, Rochester, NY
Technical writing / Document design / Information services
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