Oil painters could be at risk of lead poisoning due to long-term exposure to chemicals often found in oil paints and and other paint media, a doctor said on Thursday.
Taipei’s Lianching Clinic assistant director Frankie Gan (顏佐樺) said that he found excessive levels of lead in the blood of a 59-year-old artist surnamed Wu (吳) after she visited the clinic for chronic stomach pain and headaches.
Long-term lead exposure significantly affects many of the internal organs and could cause stomach pain, loss of appetite, constipation, headaches, anemia, restlessness, numbness in the hands and feet, mental impairment and memory loss, and in more extreme cases could even result in chronic high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage and infertility, Gan said.
Photo courtesy of Lianan Wellness Center
The physician said that most of the people he has encountered with excessive internal lead levels had regular contact with toxic materials at work, for example in automobile manufacturing, welding and painting.
Consuming produce from a farm with polluted soil or taking traditional Chinese medicine with a high lead content could also increase blood lead levels, Gan said, reminding the public to only buy medicine from certified doctors and approved pharmacies.
As the body cannot easily expel toxic metals, they accumulate in fat and bone, affecting the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and nervous system, potentially leading to gastrointestinal, immune and cognitive dysfunction, Gan said.
Exposure to heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, aluminum and cadmium is no longer rare, but as heavy metal poisoning does not have specific symptoms, most people do not suspect it to be the cause of their condition and do not get immediate treatment, he added.
If a person cannot ascertain the cause of certain symptoms and is regularly exposed to toxic materials in their workplace or living environment, Gan recommends taking a nutrient and toxic element blood test to determine if excessive metal levels are present.
Gan also urged the public to eat more wood-ear and snow fungus, kelp, spirulina, cilantro and other foods high in dietary fiber and vitamin C, as this helps the body eliminate toxins.
Commenting on the case, National Taiwan Normal University Department of Fine Arts professor Huang Chin-lung (黃進龍) on Thursday said that painters must remain mindful of paint quality, technique, studio ventilation and their habits.
Many oil painting techniques require mixing pigment with media that might include white lead, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, Huang said, advising painters to avoid purchasing cheap, low-quality materials.
Painters who spray pigment are at heightened risk, Huang said, adding that for those painters, studio ventilation is of utmost importance.
Artists’ habits are also crucial, Huang said, adding that testing colors on one’s fingernails, not washing one’s hands after painting and eating while painting could hasten metal poisoning.
Some oil painters are more than 90 years old, which shows that the materials themselves are not dangerous, but it is a painter’s habits that matter most, he said.
As oil painting can be dangerous, some artists prefer to use acrylic paint or watercolors, but oil still has an aesthetic quality that is irreplaceable, Huang added.
Additional reporting by Wu Po-hsuan
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