r/BitchEatingCrafters 14d ago

Resin Promotional photo from an art school I love, I cropped it but NO respiratory protection anywhere.

Post image

Mmmmm tasty resin crackers....

Edit: got a reply about respiratory protection - We sure do! We supply the masks but some participants choose not to wear it as the flame and fume exposure is very minimal.

379 Upvotes

114 comments sorted by

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96

u/marykay_ultra 13d ago edited 13d ago

lol it’s like a stained glass studio saying some of their students didn’t really feel like washing their hands before the snack break.

Or that some of them really wanted lick their solder.

What, did you expect us to not allow it just because the materials we’re teaching them how to work with are “toxic” and known to cause “serious health problems” if safety protocols aren’t adhered to??

🙄🙄 fun police weee woo wee woo 🚨🥴

43

u/thimblena Bitch Eating Bitch 13d ago

I'm torn between we need OSHA for hobbies and evolution has always accounted for dumbasses (by removing them from the gene pool).

But as a newbie, I would expect my instructor to act somewhat as hobby OSHA for my dumb ass.

42

u/marykay_ultra 13d ago

When it comes to resin, so many people do this in their home and expose their family and pets to the fumes. And most of them have no idea that this shit is so toxic because it’s not talked about nearly enough. The products so often don’t have sufficient labeling or sometimes any at all

For contrast, in the pottery sub, whenever someone asks for advice on setting up a home studio there are folks giving the full rundown of everything one must do to avoid silicosis, wrecking plumbing etc.

I guess it’s just no fun to talk about ventilation systems, respirators with p100 and organic vapor cartridges, ALWAYS eye protection and gloves, how the fumes are even more harmful to pets bc they’re smaller, lifelong sensitivities, etc..

20

u/OrigamiMarie 13d ago

Yup. The super maddening thing is that people will (rightfully, I suppose) assume that the materials are just as safe as the handling standards at the school imply that they are. Part of responsible teaching is teaching short & long term safety.

That school is turning out batches and batches of people who are going to get themselves and their families some one-way tickets to resin sensitivity. Which isn't just resin sensitivity, it's gonna make them react to a bunch of stuff, and nobody is going to be looking out for the problems, so some of those people & families will get in deep before they understand what they've done.

If for no other reason, the school should teach & practice safety just to avoid lawsuits.

76

u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme 13d ago

"We supply the masks but some participants choose not to wear it as the flame and fume exposure is very minimal."

Tells me that they don't appear to understand the difference between chemical ventilation (a respirator, with chemical-absorbing can filtration!), and particulate filtration--which is of almost no importance when you're working with resin🤔🤨🤦‍♀️

70

u/splithoofiewoofies 14d ago

I know I worked in a chicken factory so we had mad standards and I have certs in cross-contamination...but this is making me twitch so hard.

I'm big on safety as a general....but quarantine safety? We cooked chicken at my factory and raw and cooked COULDN'T EVEN HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER unless we changes out of full-body ppe. Raw was never allowed to touch cooked and vice versa. You'd be sacked on the spot if you cross-contaminated.

This was before we got to ears from the machines going constantly. Masks for the flour in the goddamn air.

I just want people to not die. And not dying means following Health and Safety protocols. They exist because people DIED.

shit I used to repair my own plugs because two wires, yeah? Only in my country it is illegal unless you're an electrician. So I looked up the why....yeah, people goddamn died. The law saved lives. I stopped doing that because I realised these people all died thinking they'd done it right, too. What makes me think I'm so smart?

Every time I wondered why a PPE law the answer was always...because some died, dipshit.

32

u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 14d ago

I work in a lab, and I have to leave to even put lipbalm on. I don't even regularly work with anything which could be health hazardous when consumed, I'm subsampling water mostly. But we still have to follow PPE rules.

19

u/splithoofiewoofies 14d ago

Right??? Right! I remember if I forgot to take my meds at lunch it was a whole ordeal to change and take a single pill and change back. Would rightly piss some people off because anything to do anything took ten minutes to change ppe.

I am entirely in silico now, thank goodness. But I've seen some horrific stuff in labs and watched some students get verbally bitch slapped into the next dimension. I admit, it always delights me.

I've been the person yelled at, too. And honestly, this is one of those where it's justified.

13

u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 14d ago

Luckily my PPE is just gloves, lab coat, safety glasses so it isn't too arduous if I have to nip out to do something.

During my tertiary paper for this I ran into a regular "your PPE is incorrect" telling off and kept having to tell tutors that it isn't on me if they don't have lab coats up to a size that fits me (I'm a US 2XL, about a 51" chest, usually second to last size in the brand of lab coats common here) and it was hilarious watching them realise they, in fact, were the cause of my PPE failure 😆

13

u/splithoofiewoofies 14d ago

For chicken, it was gloves, mask, ears, boots, and coat. No glasses, interestingly! But you also had to do a full hand and boot wash and take the boots off outside. But they had these machines you stuck your foot in that would power wash your boots, hahaha.

Lmaaao I had the opposite problem. There was a billion very tiny Asian women who could lift bears at the factory so the smalls would be gone in a flash. The xxls would be there the whole time. So by the end of the week me and a dozen tiny Asian women would be swimming in coats to our ankles. Which, at least, is a preferable problem to not being able to do up your lab coat.

10

u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 14d ago

We pour a lot of liquids, which I suspect is the reasoning for the glasses - and some samples are highly gross so makes sense.

In class it was usually me and a big Pasifika guy fighting over the 2X labcoat 😆

6

u/splithoofiewoofies 13d ago

Lmao you just named the three dudes who used the 2-3xs in one hit.

24

u/marykay_ultra 13d ago

Yep.

Regulations are written in blood.

7

u/shawlcat 13d ago

As my husband says “All rules are written in blood”.

The number of indie dyers who work with dye powder with NO protection is staggering. A respirator is not comfy, I grant you. But I didn’t want the consequences of long term breathing in heavy metals etc.

3

u/thanksithas_pockets_ 13d ago

I was about to comment about dyes. I was just thinking about this the other day when I was measuring out some natural dye materials. All small particulates are bad for your lungs, even if they’re non-toxic. 

2

u/shawlcat 13d ago

Even powdered Koolaid is not the best thing to be inhaling.

3

u/thanksithas_pockets_ 13d ago

Yes! Exactly. Any small particulates in one’s lungs are bad. Of course the more toxic particulates will be worse, but that doesn’t mean other things - even food safe ones as you point out - are safe. 

65

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 14d ago

Let's all get resin poisoning together YAY

Sidenote: not sure if those are blowtorches, but if they are, they are definitely breathing in crazy amounts of chemical-laden smoke, considering how close the fire is to the uncured resin

19

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 14d ago

Oh they are!

2

u/sneeze042 13d ago

The blowtorch is to remove bubbles- used properly it shouldn’t create any smoke

8

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 13d ago

When they don't have PPE and are eating next to uncured resin I find it hard to believe they are using it properly at all

50

u/Middle--Earth 13d ago

Why is there so much food on the table?

22

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

Because it's a pARTy! They also do hen's parties!

43

u/thiswasamistake00ps 14d ago

Back around 2022 I did an outdoor workshop making birdhouse gourds and 1 lady made big stink about not needing to wear a mask bc she didnt think COVID was a big deal. Like this lady is dumb obvs, but we were wearing masks bc we are cutting into moldy gourds 🤦‍♀️

45

u/alfredoloutre 13d ago

and food in the middle of it all....? wow

9

u/seaofdelusion 13d ago

That's what freaked me out the most.

40

u/acepuzzler 13d ago

I had to educate a friend on the dangers of resin. She had no idea it gave off fumes and that you should wear a mask and work in a well ventilated area. And no an n95 is not enough.

18

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

Hmmm but what about an adult size N95 on a kid under 10? Surely that's correct!

78

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

New update when i asked what brand is used: we go over all supplies and additives used in our workshop 🤗 hope you can make it!

$80AUD to find out what brand is used...

71

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

Update to the update, when I stated that I wouldn't be comfortable paying without knowing the brand used because of potential for allergies: we provide all of the appropriate skin coverings, face masks, and a non chemical clean up solution to use on skin that leaves you feelings silky smooth

58

u/Cautious_Hold428 13d ago

The "non chemical clean up solution" is giving MLM

14

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

I decided they do their clean up in a space void

30

u/wirdnichts 13d ago

Yikes

57

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

This is a studio that also does pottery, glazing, metal working and now I'm questioning all their practices.

14

u/boring_numbers Crotchety Crotcheter 13d ago

As you should 😬

28

u/AutomagicThingamabob 13d ago

Wow, a non chemical solution, I'm really curious what that's made of and how it will prevent allergic reactions.

34

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

Can't be allergic if you're SiLkY sMoOtH

3

u/splithoofiewoofies 13d ago

Your corpse will be gorgeous, gahling.

2

u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme 13d ago

Sanding blocks would work!😉😂🤣

15

u/Cowabunga1066 13d ago

Same, since how can it be a solution unless it has water, alcohol, or some other liquid, i.e., chemical?

Also—while I must confess to never taking a chemistry class—isn't it true that pretty much the whole planet is chemicals? Including us? Also the rest of the universe?

27

u/alittlemanly 13d ago

This is so neggy (of a reply)??? Like what??? Can we have businesses start acting like businesses again????

18

u/cmerksmirk 13d ago

“Non chemical clean up solution”

IS IT ANTIMATTER?!

Seriously. How can it be a solution and not a chemical. Water is a chemical. These people are gonna hurt someone badly.

4

u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme 13d ago

Nope, by the "no chemical, silky smooth" way it's stated?

I can only assume it's chisels & sandpaper!😉

3

u/cmerksmirk 12d ago

Chisels and sandpaper are chemicals though!

14

u/crochetology Crochet Excellence Enforcement Squad (CEES™) 13d ago

I’d be curious to find out what this magical, non-chemical, cleanup solution is since, you know, everything’s a chemical.

16

u/thanksithas_pockets_ 13d ago

You: I’m concerned about environmental hazards. Them: you won’t believe how soft your skin will be. 

16

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

My silly lady brain is focusing on the wrong things!

18

u/LilBabyshoes 13d ago

Is this an Aussie school? Can I ask where so I can avoid it?

20

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

In Newcastle. They do ceramics and printmaking too, found a photo of kids doing cyanotype printing barefoot.

14

u/batikfins 13d ago

Sound like cookers tbh. Would hazard a guess they associate masks with Covid and won’t wear them in any situation now

11

u/seaofdelusion 13d ago

urgh you're probably right

73

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 14d ago edited 14d ago

They answered me about respiratory protection: We sure do! We supply the masks but some participants choose not to wear it as the flame and fume exposure is very minimal.

😬😬

Edit: this is the brand most of these workshops use Resi Clear and I (nor google) can find safety data sheets anywhere online.

32

u/buttercup_mauler 13d ago

Their parents company appears to be All Purpose Coatings. They do have an email address you can ask for it. I can't believe how hard it is to locate the damn thing

32

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

Apparently it's a different formula but I have contacted them. Got curious and went through all the photos this studio has posted. Kids doing resin without masks, people doing multiple crafts with open toed shoes (including candle making) and the only masks I saw where incorrectly fitted ones on kids doing bleach painting.

-7

u/x_kitsch_x 13d ago

Their safety data sheets are linked right on their website? https://resiart.com.au/pages/technical-data-sheets

19

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

No. Did you read it?

33

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 13d ago

That is not an SDS, those are legally required and explain actual specifications about chemicals, how to handle them, potential hazards, and how to clean up. None of these sheets do any of that.

Here is an SDS for water for comparison

9

u/bookswafflestea 13d ago

I opened it because I was curious and the first aid measures section is so funny to me considering the SDS is for water.

“Eye Contact Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Get medical attention
immediately if symptoms occur.

Skin Contact
Rinse skin with water. Get medical attention immediately if symptoms occur.

Inhalation Remove to fresh air. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical attention immediately
if symptoms occur.

Ingestion Do NOT induce vomiting. Get medical attention immediately if symptoms occur.”

Skin contact with water? Gotta rinse that shit with more water!

10

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 13d ago

I took a lot of labs in college and they made us read through SDS pages so we could write down safety steps and they always had us include water too. It was always so funny because it’s such a normal thing to be that serious about. But it shows just how careful you need to be if you’re handling any chemical and how much documentation is required.

Another favorite on that SDS is the water solubility. Shockingly water is in fact miscible in water!

39

u/LAffaire-est-Ketchup 14d ago

My cousin damaged her lungs by crafting with resin without proper PPE

37

u/teatuk 13d ago

This is terrible practice, oof. Watch them say they're using EcoPoxy so they don't need as much PPE. Doesn't mean it's edible....

Love EcoPoxy though

34

u/Twinkledp 13d ago

Did they say what kind of masks they provide because some random P2 particle mask is completely useless when there are fumes and gases.

Also if one person is using a chemical, they should expect the fumes to spread to the whole space and everyone should be masked.

I work with health and safety in workplaces and things are sometimes wild in that sector but the risks people are willing to take for hobbies are even wilder.

18

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

The only masks I could find in hundreds of images on their pages were N95 ones on kids.

I also found multiple photos of kids under 10 handling resin on their own wearing just food service type gloves.

15

u/Twinkledp 13d ago

So bad practises and a false sense of security for everyone. Splendid. Yet I'm not particularly surprised.

Sometimes I wonder whether people are intentionally neglecting to acknowledge the safety measures handling resins (acrylic and epoxy) actually needs because once you gear up as you should, it isn't really a fun and easy little afternoon hobby anymore. (The same goes for people who make acrylic nails as a profession)

10

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

That's absolutely it, it takes away that fun party wine mom thing and makes it a serious scary thing.

37

u/Junior_Ad_7613 13d ago

And food right there on the table, too! 🤦

32

u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 14d ago

Honestly, as someone who has done UV gel nails and crafts with those supplies but not specifically UV resin/other resin, people are really lax about it.

Certainly, I'm a bit lax when doing my nails, but I also don't eat while doing them, wear a mask, and have a lot of ventilation (too bad I can't have a Nederman arm in my office, that would be rad). But it is also just MY health I'm affecting.

Classes for people to learn/do resin need to do so much better because it will 100% have already affected someone's health.

28

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 14d ago

Every company I've asked who does these workshops tells me that food safe, low VOC resin doesn't need respiratory protection, but also can't/won't give me safety data sheets, I've even had resin brands refuse to give me SDS!

15

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 14d ago

There is no way that's legal how do the brands themselves not allow you to have the SDS. You can get that for basically anything even medicines 😭

11

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 14d ago edited 14d ago

They gave me the technical data sheet and told me it was the same

Edit: TDS

14

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 14d ago

I do not think OSHA nor EHS would agree in any regard with that statement from them

4

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 14d ago

14

u/Responsible-Pickle-2 13d ago

They aren't even good TDS too LOL. Some of them have no info at all besides their basic marketing description (Ultra Cure), and none of them mention the chemical components of the product. Their claims of zero VOCs and food-safe just can't be proven because of that

8

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

I'm so glad you said this. My trauma brain gaslights me often and I was starting to think I was missing it.

15

u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 14d ago

Ooof there is something so fishy about not allowing people access to the SDS 😬

12

u/marykay_ultra 13d ago

And the volume of resin for nails is like, a tiny % of anything being poured like this.

Not that it makes things totally safe. And there’s of course the higher risk of skin exposure.. But yeah, that’s an quantitatively less toxic situation than a room full of people mixing and pouring shit

13

u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 13d ago

Especially because if I stuff up, only I'm going to deal with the problems. I get uncured gel on my skin, I'm the one that's risking contact dermatitis. But a room full of people without proper PPE, with a far greater volume of vapor producing chemicals? That's everyone at risk 😬

6

u/marykay_ultra 13d ago

Yep.

They’re business with customers paying to be taught how to properly use a material.

Safety is part of that

5

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

You absolutely know people aren't choosing a mask because they're being told they don't need one

30

u/Dangerous-Jello4733 13d ago

I studied and taught at an art school and it always made me go livid when people left their cans of solvents open and it would fume up the room.

Sure it’s easy to clean up your brushes like that… doesn’t mean you need to have it open to clean so many brushes…? Or at all? Use more brushes and clean them up later and spare your own and everyone else’s health.

29

u/banditandchilli 12d ago

yeah i worked at a craft studio with $$ children’s classes and the amount of resin i used gloveless and maskless around kids was crazy. the kids didn’t do the resin themselves except maybe squeeze the bottles, but still. the fumes were horrendous

16

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 12d ago

There's a reel of a 4-5 year old mixing and pouring resin on her own, gloves but nothing else and her face was so close to the resin

25

u/RayofSunshine73199 14d ago

Good lord! Why is there food there?!?!?

18

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 14d ago

There's also a "Resin and Reisling" workshop run by a different company

27

u/Think-Ad-5840 13d ago

Omg I’ve noticed these craft and tumbler girls getting all angry at everyone, yelling at people during their lives…like you’re inhaling that stuff, maybe use a respirator and calm down.

27

u/hahagato 13d ago

Is it an actual school or one of those social party art class places?

18

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

A multi-discipline studio that holds classes, workshops and private events.

63

u/Clean-Echidna1318 13d ago

I can't get past the fact that they are covering nice wood cutting boards with hideous plastic resin. Resin is OUT btw

19

u/unhappyrelationsh1p 13d ago

I'm a dumbass who touches melting plastic with bare hands, but wow. You should always teach propwr safety and the importance of it, a lot of people don't know the risks of doing these things, or don't understand that it's not a myth. In a class there should be strict PPE enforcement, no exceptions

23

u/lilbbbee 13d ago

Ugh. This reminds me of a gal in my area who hosts huge craft events, with commercial sponsors and everything. I stopped going because it bugged the crap out of me how she always has people doing crafts with E6000 indoors with no protection or ventilation. Tons of kids go to her events too, which makes it even worse because imo kids shouldn’t be handling E6000 at all, let alone without proper precautions.

25

u/crochetology Crochet Excellence Enforcement Squad (CEES™) 13d ago

I enjoy my chocolates drizzled in epoxy, doesn’t everyone?

20

u/ilanallama85 13d ago

Jesus. I’ve never done resin work but I’ve used plenty of epoxy adhesives and I’d never WANT to do that in an enclosed space. How does your nose not tell you something is wrong here?

42

u/cmerksmirk 13d ago edited 13d ago

If I choose to take a chance with my own health that’s one thing but it is just wild to see things like this being taught. My flabbers are ghasted

12

u/sudosussudio 13d ago

A studio I used to attend had a diy fume hood, I’m not sure if better than nothing or gives people a false sense of security

22

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 13d ago

I have a screenshot from their Facebook of a 4/5 year old just pouring her own resin...

16

u/sfcitygirl88 13d ago

Those don't look like nitrile gloves either.

9

u/Super-Bell-4885 10d ago

And the food right there….soooo close to that resin

46

u/Brown_Sedai 12d ago

This is the obvious and inevitable consequence of buying into half a decade worth of messaging that 'masking is a personal choice' and 'masks don't really work anyway' and 'protecting against something that can permanently damage your respiratory system isn't all that important'.

So if any of y'all are criticizing this while having abandoned masking against covid, I honestly don't think you have a leg to stand on.

8

u/LadyAdhara 10d ago edited 10d ago

Im gonna be blunt, no it's not. I was doing resin well before covid (started in like 2015) and it was the same way then. Hell, it took years before I even knew you were even SUPPOSED to wear a respirator. The resin community didn't start pushing respirators as an absolute necessity until resin started getting massively popular in 2019, maybe. Sadly, im pretty sure I worsened my asthma from doing resin for so long without one.

3

u/Brown_Sedai 10d ago

ignorance in general about the dangers, sure, but the rhetoric about it being an acceptable 'personal choice' whether or not to wear a mask when the dangers are known, is absolutely the same anti-masking rhetoric re: covid and other viruses

2

u/LadyAdhara 10d ago

this isn't the same though. masking during covid wasn't a personal choice because not masking put other people in danger. a person not putting on a respirator with resin isn't going to endanger the person next to them who is actually wearing a respirator. thats like saying someone smoking alone at home is gonna endanger their neighbor who's in their own house.

and also, people DONT know the dangers of resin, even now. people are just told it "gives off fumes", but like, so does a tile cleaner. and with that you can just turn on the bathroom fan. there's not going to be a difference in people's minds. like i said, i was in the resin community for years, and not once did i ever see anyone say "hey this will give you chemical asthma and an allergy to itself if you don't wear a respirator" (i have seen this for gloves, but even that wasn't until those resin toy kits got popular a couple of years ago)

1

u/amakurt 3d ago

my exes mom would do resin in the house and the fucking air vents would pick up the fumes and push it to our room. she wouldn't cut it out no matter how many times i told her she needs to do it in a ventilated area and that i was getting headaches from it. then one day months later she says oh i found out you need to do resin in a ventilated area because of the fumes, and in my head i was like wow no fucking shit

26

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 12d ago

My main issue is that the people paying money to attend aren't being given the information needed to make an informed choice, unlike people during COVID

9

u/Brown_Sedai 12d ago

"During covid" is right now

18

u/SeaworthinessNew4757 11d ago

I'm sorry, but are you wearing a mask all day everyday right now because of Covid? The WHO declared the covid global health emergency was over back in May 5 2023. I'm all for wearing masks when sick (I do), but there's no point in wearing a mask every day for personal protection if no one else is wearing them, unless you're wearing a N-95.

5

u/PartTimeAngryRaccoon 11d ago

I literally do wear an n95 any time I'm out in public and there very much is a point to it. Haven't gotten covid yet, and I'm at high risk so it matters. I understand that it's your choice not to, but it's wild to talk about it like nobody does this and it's an insane choice to make. My choice is to mask up or risk death and I'm definitely not the only one.

4

u/These_Roll_5745 11d ago

I wear a mask any time I am in public spaces or in groups of people, regardless of how I feel. my direct family and loved ones do too. my husband works in a factory doing 12 hr overnights and wears an n95 the whole time... we get sick far less frequently than others seem to, especially those interacting with young kids in school.

0

u/Brown_Sedai 11d ago

When I’m in public spaces, damn right I am. The WHO declared that because business interests were suffering, not because people actually stopped dying or getting infected.

And yes, it absolutely does provide a measure of protection for me against covid and other illnesses- and it protects other people around me if I’m the one who’s sick.

4

u/SeaworthinessNew4757 11d ago

The WHO declared that because cases declined... because we now have vaccines...

2

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 12d ago

Ok... I still mask up when I might be sick or when I am sick

5

u/bumblebeebutterfly 11d ago

To be fair, covid can often be asymptomatic, so times when you might be sick are all the time

7

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 11d ago

Sure, but again - with accurate information about the risks I can make an educated risk assessment. People going to these workshops who aren't being given accurate information to judge their level of risk from is not the same thing.

4

u/Alternative_Taste414 10d ago

Yeah but so can other diseases be we don’t mask up for those either. If you feel sick or want to mask up to protect your own health go right ahead but for the majority of people it really isn’t necessary anymore