Digitalfire Hazards Database

Ceramic Hazards

A wide range of materials are used in ceramics and they present a many hazards. These hazards are often not well understood by engineers and technicians (they focus their efforts on using the materials to get results). Hazard information that is available is often not well communicated to production staff. However this knowledge base revolves around materials and puts hazard information a click away. In addition, since this database is connected to calculation software, users of that software always find materials in context of their mineralogy, chemistry and hazards.

Finished ceramic products also expose users of those products to hazards (e.g. leaching of metals, bacterial hazards in micro-cracks, razor edged chips of glaze in food or drink). Understanding such hazards must be done primarily on the oxide (chemistry) level since the basic causes relate to properties that are products of the chemistry.

See Also

• Crazing and Bacteria: Is There a Hazard?

  A post to a discussion on the clayart group by Gavin Stairs regarding the food safety of crazed ware.

• Being Realistic About Toxicity and Safety in Ceramics

  The materials you use present two hazards you need to think about, are they poisoning your while working with them and are they destabilizing your glazes so they dissolve into food and drink?

• Dealing With Dust in Ceramics
  

  A checklist of for changes and additions to your tools and equipment and suggestions for habit changes you need to make to control dust

• Is Your Fired Ware Safe?

  Glazed ware can be a safety hazard to end users because it may leach metals into food and drink, it could harbor bacteria and it could flake of in knife-edged pieces.

• Attack on Glass: Corrosion Attack Mechanisms

  Max Richens outlines the various mechanisms by which acids and bases can dissolve glass and glazes. He provides some information on stabilizing glazes against attack.

• Quartz, Crystalline Silica Toxicity
  

  Overview of quartz hazards in the ceramic industry and process

• International Labour Organization Chemical Safety Database
  

  http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/index.htm