[Clayart] Clayart Digest, Vol 104, Issue 19 Manganese

ronroy at ca.inter.net ronroy at ca.inter.net
Thu Aug 1 16:41:47 UTC 2024


I agree mostly with Vince. I suppose it is a stretch but maybe  
possible if clay containing granular manganese was ground underfoot  
enough - perhaps? - the particles could be reduced to the danger  
point. I have been in such studios!

I doubt if the fumes from granular manganese would be much of a  
problem. If you are breathing kiln fumes there are much more serious  
issues.

We have not had a go around on studio air quality for a while. Anyone  
have some something outrageous to say about that?

RR


Quoting Vince Pitelka via Clayart <clayart at lists.clayartforum.com>:

> I'm traveling and haven't followed this thread very close.  As I  
> understand it, in oxidation claybodies, speckles are achieved with  
> granular manganese, while in reduction bodies, they are achieved  
> with iron.  Because the manganese is granular, I have always  
> understood that it poses no threat in handling the raw clay.  Of  
> course, in firing, your kiln needs to be outdoors or equipped with a  
> proper kiln vent system installed and operating.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Potter, Writer, Teacher
> Chapel Hill, NC
> vincepitelka at gmail.com
> www.vincepitelka.com
> https://chathamartistsguild.org/
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clayart <clayart-bounces at lists.clayartforum.com> On Behalf Of  
> trina281--- via Clayart
> Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2024 10:20 AM
> To: clayart at lists.clayartforum.com
> Cc: trina281 at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Clayart] Clayart Digest, Vol 104, Issue 19 Manganese
>
>  Coming in late to the discussion. Standard Clay body #112 aren't  
> the speckles Manganese?
>     On Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 08:02:38 AM EDT,  
> clayart-request at lists.clayartforum.com  
> <clayart-request at lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Manganese toxicity - RR (ronroy at ca.inter.net)
>   2. Joining ClayArt? (ronroy at ca.inter.net)
>   3. join clayart instructions (mel jacobson)
>   4. Re: Manganese toxicity - RR (Dragonbelly Ceramics)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:35:38 -0400
> From: ronroy at ca.inter.net
> To: clayart at lists.clayartforum.com
> Subject: [Clayart] Manganese toxicity - RR
> Message-ID: <20240724113538.17063fllw1ml9bgq at webmail.ca.inter.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; DelSp="Yes";
>     format="flowed"
>
> Below is a letter sent to Mathhew Katz over a month ago by a  
> Canadian potter who pots in a community setting that does not think  
> manganese is a problem. To date he has not responded.
>
> Sent: Friday, June 14, 2024 10:48 AM
> To: Matthew Katz (matt at ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com)
> <matt at ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com>
> Subject: Manganese information from Monona Rossol
>
> Dear Matt:
>
> I am reaching out to you to provide you with some information from  
> Monona Rossol about manganese. Monona is an industrial toxicologist  
> specializing in materials used in the Arts and Theatre, and used to  
> write about toxicology in Clay Times.
>
> In your podcast, "Should I be afraid of manganese", you mentioned  
> that dust is not soluble and that only soluble materials could pass  
> from the lungs to the blood stream.  I found a lot of articles about  
> manganism in miners exposed to dust. Closer to ceramic use, is the  
> case (Hine CH, attached) of a worker who developed manganism in a  
> relatively short time from cleaning up dry glaze powder spills  
> without a mask or proper ventilation.  These sources show that  
> manganese dust does pass into circulation.
>
> Monona was able to shed some more light on this.  According to the  
> SDS, the TLV for manganese dioxide by inhalation in the respirable  
> particle size (fumes and dusts under 10 microns in diameter) is 0.02  
> mg/m3.  She says that this is very low, indicating that manganese  
> dust is very toxic to inhale.
> She also wanted me to share with you the attached published review  
> that concluded that there are multiple environmental sources of  
> manganese that can be additive. This means that the small amount we  
> might be exposed to even if we use PPE and ventilation in ceramics,  
> could be a tipping point over time.
>
> You also mentioned that manganese does not fume until it reaches  
> temperatures well in excess of kiln firing. Were you referring to  
> the boiling point of manganese dioxide? I looked up the melting and  
> boiling points of chrome and copper oxides, and even their melting  
> points are above cone 10.  Yet chrome and copper are known to fume  
> in low firings.
>
> Monona explained that fume generation does not begin at the boiling  
> point of manganese dioxide, but at its melting point (under 1000  
> degrees F) and that fume generation from heating manganese compounds  
> is a risk factor.  Also, interactions with other materials in a  
> glaze may enhance melting and subsequent fuming.
>
> Monona also shared that an earlier sign of manganese toxicity is  
> essential tremor rather than full-blown Parkinson-like symptoms.   
> The majority of welders today have essential tremor attributed to  
> manganese exposure, and early effects are subtle but likely to be  
> irreversible and progressive.
>
> We might hope that people will be diligent in using PPE and damp  
> mopping, or will always vent their kilns effectively, but there will  
> always be those who do not know any better.  I hope you will teach  
> through your courses and podcasts that manganese does confer risks  
> from dust as well as fume inhalation at kiln temperatures.  I have  
> no problem with people using manganese.  I can only hope that they  
> become aware of risks that you can help disseminate.
>
> Thank you for your time.  I would appreciate hearing back from you.
>
> Yours in health,
>
> I have omitted the potters name but she has allowed me to include it  
> if anyone is interested,
>
> RR
>
> ronroy at ca.inter.net
> Web page ronroy.net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:37:33 -0400
> From: ronroy at ca.inter.net
> To: clayart at lists.clayartforum.com
> Subject: [Clayart] Joining ClayArt?
> Message-ID: <20240724113733.71201vxos350av25 at webmail.ca.inter.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; DelSp="Yes";
>     format="flowed"
>
> I can't find the instructions for joining ClayArt - could someone  
> send them to me please - thanks RR
>
>
> Ron Roy
> ronroy at ca.inter.net
> Web page ronroy.net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:24:26 -0500
> From: mel jacobson <melpots at mail.com>
> To: "clayart at lists.clayartforum.com" <clayart at lists.clayartforum.com>
> Subject: [Clayart] join clayart instructions
> Message-ID: <0MOPpb-1sbvSB0ywP-00AkJD at smtp.mail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> https://lists.clayartforum.com/mailman/listinfo/clayart
> www.melpots.com
>
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>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:17:23 -0400
> From: Dragonbelly Ceramics <lisa at dragonbellyceramics.com>
> To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum
>     <clayart at lists.clayartforum.com>
> Subject: Re: [Clayart] Manganese toxicity - RR
> Message-ID:
>     <CAMxmGNai6fajfO7Ji2fWfpBvwgMCCj0x-GX5aW0=RLahm0PejQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Thank you for sharing this. I do hope Matt responds.
>
> Lisa
>
> On Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 11:35 AM ronroy--- via Clayart <  
> clayart at lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>
>> Below is a letter sent to Mathhew Katz over a month ago by a Canadian
>> potter who pots in a community setting that does not think manganese
>> is a problem. To date he has not responded.
>>
>> Sent: Friday, June 14, 2024 10:48 AM
>> To: Matthew Katz (matt at ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com)
>> <matt at ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com>
>> Subject: Manganese information from Monona Rossol
>>
>> Dear Matt:
>>
>> I am reaching out to you to provide you with some information from
>> Monona Rossol about manganese. Monona is an industrial toxicologist
>> specializing in materials used in the Arts and Theatre, and used to
>> write about toxicology in Clay Times.
>>
>> In your podcast, "Should I be afraid of manganese", you mentioned that
>> dust is not soluble and that only soluble materials could pass from
>> the lungs to the blood stream.  I found a lot of articles about
>> manganism in miners exposed to dust. Closer to ceramic use, is the
>> case (Hine CH, attached) of a worker who developed manganism in a
>> relatively short time from cleaning up dry glaze powder spills without
>> a mask or proper ventilation.  These sources show that manganese dust
>> does pass into circulation.
>>
>> Monona was able to shed some more light on this.  According to the
>> SDS, the TLV for manganese dioxide by inhalation in the respirable
>> particle size (fumes and dusts under 10 microns in diameter) is 0.02
>> mg/m3.  She says that this is very low, indicating that manganese dust
>> is very toxic to inhale.
>> She also wanted me to share with you the attached published review
>> that concluded that there are multiple environmental sources of
>> manganese that can be additive. This means that the small amount we
>> might be exposed to even if we use PPE and ventilation in ceramics,
>> could be a tipping point over time.
>>
>> You also mentioned that manganese does not fume until it reaches
>> temperatures well in excess of kiln firing. Were you referring to the
>> boiling point of manganese dioxide? I looked up the melting and
>> boiling points of chrome and copper oxides, and even their melting
>> points are above cone 10.  Yet chrome and copper are known to fume  
>> in low firings.
>>
>> Monona explained that fume generation does not begin at the boiling
>> point of manganese dioxide, but at its melting point (under 1000
>> degrees F) and that fume generation from heating manganese compounds
>> is a risk factor.  Also, interactions with other materials in a glaze
>> may enhance melting and subsequent fuming.
>>
>> Monona also shared that an earlier sign of manganese toxicity is
>> essential tremor rather than full-blown Parkinson-like symptoms.  The
>> majority of welders today have essential tremor attributed to
>> manganese exposure, and early effects are subtle but likely to be  
>> irreversible and progressive.
>>
>> We might hope that people will be diligent in using PPE and damp
>> mopping, or will always vent their kilns effectively, but there will
>> always be those who do not know any better.  I hope you will teach
>> through your courses and podcasts that manganese does confer risks
>> from dust as well as fume inhalation at kiln temperatures.  I have no
>> problem with people using manganese.  I can only hope that they become
>> aware of risks that you can help disseminate.
>>
>> Thank you for your time.  I would appreciate hearing back from you.
>>
>> Yours in health,
>>
>> I have omitted the potters name but she has allowed me to include it
>> if anyone is interested,
>>
>> RR
>>
>> ronroy at ca.inter.net
>> Web page ronroy.net
>>
>>
>>
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Ron Roy
ronroy at ca.inter.net
Web page ronroy.net




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