Hang this poster by the paint and solvent cabinet, so the checklist is in front of whoever opens it.
What is on the poster
Choose
- Water-washable oils, acrylics, gouache and watercolors before anything that needs a solvent.
- Paints that list their pigments. No cadmium, chromium, lead, barium, mercury, selenium or arsenic; no flake white or other lead pigment.
- Odorless is not harmless. Low-odor solvents and pleasant-smelling ones still poison; if it can melt plastic, treat it as hazardous.
Use
- Ventilation running for every solvent, spray or powdered pigment. Sprays only in a spray booth.
- Lids on every container except while pouring. Solvent vapor fills a room fast.
- Gloves and an apron for oil and solvent work; keep paint and solvent off your skin, eyes, nose and mouth.
- No eating, drinking or smoking in the studio. Wash your hands before you leave.
Dispose
- Rags and thinner in a closed metal container, never the trash.
- Paint with toxic metals and used solvents are hazardous waste: collected, labeled, never down a drain.
Pregnant? No lead pigments, and no solvent products at all.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Painting and Solvents module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it by the paint and solvent cabinet, at eye level.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Painting and Solvents module.
Learn more
The Painting and Solvents module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- Environmental Health and Safety in the Arts: painting – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard Communication – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Painting and Solvents module – Science Safety (reviewed September 30, 2026)
Poster SSP-0039, Rev. 1, September 2026.
