Oil paints are generally more toxic that other alternatives such as acrylics or pigments in binder.
This is due to several reasons. The first is the usage of pigments. Oil paints have more harmful substances such as cadmium which makes them more toxic. Furthermore there were, in the past, some extremely toxic paints now discontinued such as for example flake white or lead white (which is a brilliant powerful white).
Furthermore, oil paints usually contain driers to reduce drying time. Last but not least oil paints are diluted in painting mediums that contain toxic substances or in turpentine.
Although all the above sound terrifying, there is a way to reduce the toxicity of your oil paints.
- It is recommended to wear gloves when painting
- Don’t use turpentine for diluting paints. Use a painting medium or plain linseed oil (this will have as a result increased drying time)
- Don’t wash your paint brushed in turpentine. You can use soap or dishwasher with perfect results
- Don’t wash you brushes all the time. Use different brushes for dark and light colours and have a cloth handy to wipe of the paint between colour changes
To summarise, I think from my experience that if you follow the aforementioned instructions you can greatly reduce the health and safety issues of oil paints while preserving the magnificent rendering quality and versatility they provide.