I often see responses on here indicating that there is something highly dangerous or corrosive about photo chemicals which means that they shouldn't be handled in the house.
Besides being a hobbyist photographer who has his own darkroom, I'm also currently working toward a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry, and planning to pursue a career as a chemist.
As such, I'm done a fair amount of research on the chemical processes that are going on, as well as just what exactly is in the chemicals.
There are a few highly toxic developing agents, such as Pyro formulas, which few use anyway.
Normal developers, such as D76, are actually quite safe to handle. In fact, hydroquinone, one of the developing agents in D76, is used in some medicines. D76 also contains borax, available as a cleaner, and sodium sulfite, used as a preservative. The only other thing is metol, which is non toxic, although it does cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Where do people get all of these ideas
2007-10-08
11:24:03
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9 answers
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asked by
Ben H
6