As a first exposure to the subject of health hazards in the studio, Michael McCann’s book provides an excellent overview of the subject. His catchy chapter titles, such as “Is Your Art Killing You?” and “How Art Materials Can Hurt You,” are exactly the type of attention grabbers needed to encourage the artist or student to read more. As McCann notes in the introductory section, part 1, entitled “Chemical and Physical Hazards,” is meant as a general introduction, to be read first; part 2, “Art and Craft Techniques,” provides specific information organized by particular mediums and practices.

In the first chapter of part 1, McCann explains why arts and crafts have gained a misleading reputation for safety: “Most of us have thought of art materials as innocuous, an attitude stemming from the common use of art materials when we were children” (5). He quickly and convincingly challenges this myth and, in a clear and concise style that is consistent throughout the book, lays out a series of alarming examples that should force everyone who works with artists’ materials to sit up and pay attention.

In chapter 2, McCann provides a brief and informative recent history of labeling laws and outlines public and government organizations mandated to control hazardous materials and provide information on them, while pointing out how self-employed artists may fall through the cracks. The major organizations, government and nongovernment, are described, and their addresses are provided. Chapter 3 details the routes of entry for hazardous and toxic materials, with an explanation of important concepts such as “total body burden” (the cumulative effect of repeated or prolonged exposure) and “exposure limits.” Writing to the educated layperson, McCann provides enough detail to convince us of the vulnerability of our bodies to routes of entry for toxic substances, primarily through skin contact, inhalation, and ingestion. More precise information on the dangers of art materials is given in chapters 4 and 5, covering gases and liquids, and dusts and fumes, respectively. The rest of part 1 offers useful, practical recommendations on studio safety, ventilation, the proper use of materials, protective equipment, physical hazards, and first aid.

Part 2 has separate chapters covering painting and drawing, printmaking, ceramics, photography, sculpture, woodworking, metalworking, jewelry and enameling, glass arts, and textile arts. These chapters are followed by more generalized ones: “Other Arts and Crafts,” “Modern Technology in Art,” and “Commercial Art.” Only the subject of the last of these chapters is clear in the title: “Children and Art Materials.” It is unfortunate that the table of contents does not contain subheadings, as it can be difficult to find the relevant section if your art falls into the category of “Other” or “Modern Technology.”

Despite the huge wealth of highly relevant information, Artist Beware is not an altogether easy reference source to use. While there are many tables throughout that summarize information, the table of contents does not include them—the reader has to flip through the book repeatedly to find the one he or she needs. Table 4.4, entitled “Hazards of Solvents,” is organized not alphabetically but by category. Therefore, if you did not know that mineral spirits is an aliphatic hydrocarbon or that Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon, then you could not locate them easily. Similarly, ethyl acetate is found among the esters. Since the table of contents is too general, the index, which does list the name of each material individually, would have benefited from more detail.

McCann’s book is particularly valuable for bringing the vast literature on toxicological effects of hazardous materials into the context of art materials and art use. Most of the literature on health and safety is directed to industrial exposure, and the author is careful to explain the difference: industrial workers clock out at the end of a shift (the standard measure is eight to ten hours, regulated by safety laws), leaving the hazardous materials at the factory. Artists routinely work for much longer hours at a given stretch, and often in the home—where materials such as hazardous dusts may be tracked through living spaces. Industrial workers are required by law to wear protective clothing, respirators, or dust masks, while self-employed artists have not traditionally seen this as a requirement. There are many laws in place to protect industrial workers from undue exposure; art schools and private studios have been slow to establish similar protections.

Artist Beware’s greatest strength is in its educative role: this book is the entry point where artists find out—or are reminded—that the materials they use daily may be seriously hazardous, not only immediately but also more insidiously, in the long term. In this aspect, McCann has done a masterly job of informing his readers in a way that is clear, precise, and alarming without being alarmist. Every artist and especially every art teacher, at all levels of proficiency or instruction, must be well informed; McCann’s very comprehensive book provides the first step.