Carbon monoxide from fuel-fired kilns or the combustion of organic matter in clays is highly toxic by inhalation and can cause oxygen starvation.

Keep in mind that ceramic materials should not be inhaled or ingested. Even so, ceramic materials can be handled safely with the proper safety equipment and a few precautions.

Possible Symptoms Swallowing a mouthful or less of Play-Doh or modeling clay should not cause any symptoms. Vomiting or constipation can occur if eaten in large amounts.

Dust from ordinary clay and several other materials contains some free silica that is too fine and heavy to be expelled from the lungs. Over time this can cause fatal silicosis if breathed often enough.

Clay is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken by mouth for a long period of time. Eating clay long-term can cause low levels of potassium and iron. It might also cause lead poisoning, muscle weakness, intestinal blockage, skin sores, or breathing problems.

Keep some environments totally clay free. Use a separate building, rather than in the house where you eat and sleep. Provide an outdoor area or a separate and properly ventilated room for clay mixing. Provide an outdoor area or a separate and properly ventilated fireproof room for firing.

The best way to clean your studio is by using clean water. Water will keep the dust from rising so it will not become airborne and get inhaled. Mopping the floor daily near your work areas such as your wheel and work table will remove clay dust and prevent buildup or dust as easily.

The clay is safe to touch, but you shouldn’t ingest it, so you need to clean your hands thoroughly after you work with the clay and before you eat or cook. Polymer clay sneers at soap and water. Using a small pumice stone with soap will help remove the clay from your hands; so will some hand creams and facial “scrubs”.

Wipe off your table every day with a wet towel or sponge, NOT a dry paper towel! Dry paper towels only move the clay around and if it is dust, it gets in the air which is not healthy to breathe. Using a wet towel or sponge not only eliminates this problem but the clean up is much faster and better.

The Ceramics Studio – Health Safety

1. Inhalation of all clay materials especially silica can damage your lungs.
2. Avoid excessive dust exposure.
3. Make sure you know what ingredients are in the clays you use.
4. Wet clay is a good medium for mold growth and bacterial incubation.
5. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in your work space.

Dirt and hair on the surface of your clay are one of the easier things to clean. You can use this method for raw or baked clay. It even smooths out fingerprints!

The first thing you will want to do is mix your clay with water in a large container until it is completely dispersed and thin enough to be filtered out. Next, pour your slurry through sieves or cloths and leave the larger particles behind. Now that the clay is clean, you need to get rid of most of that water.

Clay minerals most commonly form by prolonged chemical weathering of silicate-bearing rocks. Weathering of the same kind of rock under alkaline conditions produces illite. Smectite forms by weathering of igneous rock under alkaline conditions, while gibbsite forms by intense weathering of other clay minerals.

Tomatoes can be grown successfully in clay soil. But clay has two characteristics working against it to produce healthy tomato plants: Compaction. Clay tends to hold water.

Most roses prefer clay soil, but all soils can (and usually should) be amended with organic matter such as compost, to improve both water retention and drainage. Mulching over the root zone also helps keep the soil moist. If the soil is dry on the surface but wet at lower levels, no need to water yet.