This section provides sources for material information including material safety data sheets on commonly used art education supplies.

Some art and craft supplies contain known hazardous materials such as asbestos and heavy metals. Some supplies have instructive labeling, while on others the information is incomplete or nonexistent. Some of the materials are known human carcinogens, presenting risks to all but especially to young children.

Public opinion and attitudes tend to assume that once an item is on the market, it is considered reliable and safe to use. Additionally, consumers rely upon warning labels to help interpret the ingredients, hazards, and risks. Many consumers do not have appropriate background knowledge to interpret the chemical and industrial language required to make informed purchases. Some relatively easy-to-use, on-line tools can help consumers overcome these barriers.

Barriers to consumer education include the following:

• Awareness of risks
• Knowledge of substitutes
• Ingredients
• Vocabulary
• Label information
• Governmental requirements and enforcement

A number of on-line sources describe art and craft hazards as well as product and ingredient toxicity. Additional resources are provided at the bottom of the list on the right side of this page. An increasing number of states are establishing specific requirements for purchasing art and craft materials. These will be provided in the list of resources as they become available.

The Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act, signed into law in 1988, requires that all art materials be reviewed to determine the potential for causing a chronic hazard, and that appropriate warning labels be put on those art materials found to pose a chronic hazard. In summary, this law applies to many many children's toys as well as art supplies. Full requirements of this act and LHAMA can be viewed on CPSC Document #5015. Examples of the various labels are provided by the Art & Creative Materials Institute.

Vocabulary and understanding art and chemical terms also create barriers for making informed decisions. Silica, caustic, AP Seal, CL Seal, Certified non-toxic, chronic, acute, and LHAMA are some of the terms that will be encountered when reading art and craft supply labels. See the Glossary of Terms for explanations.

Material safety data sheets provide invaluable resources including ingredients, identification of any associated hazards, potential health effects (immediate and delayed), first-aid measures, fire-fighting measures, handling and storage, exposure controls, physical and chemical properties, stability and reactivity, U.S. federal and Canadian regulations, and more. An example of an MSDS is provided here for Elmer's Glue-All.

The Art & Creative Materials Institute provides certification criteria for supplies used in art education through its Web site. Manufacturers who participate are identified with a certification symbol on their products. Art supply labels are not consistent and the use of this certification is defined by a stringent set of criteria that proves consumer friendly.

Research quickly identifies appropriate substitutions as shown in the following table:

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