The Ceramispot teamTeam
Ceramics is a safe activity once you know a few basic rules. This guide doesn't replace the safety data sheets for your products or the advice of a professional, but it covers the essentials.
Dust, the main risk
Clays and glazes contain silica. When breathed in as fine dust, crystalline silica is classified as a carcinogen, and repeated exposure can cause serious lung disease.
- Clean wet: sponge, mop. Don't dry-sweep and don't use an air blower.
- If you vacuum, use a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter.
- Sand and scrape greenware while it's damp rather than dry. If you have to work dry, wear an FFP3 filtering mask (FFP2 at the very least).
- Weigh and mix powdered glazes wearing a mask, then work with them wet.
- Don't eat, drink or smoke in the studio. Wash your hands when you leave.
The kiln
- During firing, the clay and glazes give off fumes: steam, carbon monoxide, irritating fumes early in the firing (when organic matter burns off), and sometimes sulfur or fluorine compounds. Ventilate the room where the kiln is, or install a suitable extraction system. Avoid firing in a living space.
- Leave space around the kiln, away from anything that can burn, and keep to the clearances specified by the manufacturer.
- Have the electrical or gas installation checked by a professional: a kiln often needs a dedicated circuit.
- Don't open a kiln that's still hot: on top of the risk of burns, sudden cooling can crack your pieces. Raku is the exception: it's done with a kiln and equipment designed for it (gloves, tongs, face shield).
Glazes and food contact
- A glaze described as “non-toxic” before firing doesn't guarantee that a fired piece is safe for food contact.
- For tableware, choose glazes that their manufacturer declares food-safe, and follow the stated firing temperature exactly.
- Rule out lead or cadmium glazes for anything that touches food.
- If you sell tableware, the European regulations on articles in contact with food apply: among other things, they require a written declaration of compliance, backed up by test results (lead and cadmium). Look into them and have your pieces tested by a laboratory.
Hands and back
Clay dries out your skin: a hand cream after the session does you good. At the wheel, adjust the height of your seat and take breaks to spare your back.
Learn more
Your suppliers provide the safety data sheets for their products. INRS, France's reference body for occupational risk prevention, also publishes guidance on crystalline silica.
