All List of Chemicals used in Printing – The Substance is Safe or Not?

Printing is a chemical-intensive industry with its workers being exposed to many hazardous chemicals, in particular, the printing solvents. Other than the health hazards there is also environment issue in term how the waste is handled. Many chemicals printing including inks, adhesives, lacquers, and cleaning solvents.

All of which can cause various levels of ill health of workers or employees are exposed to them. Various vapors and mists can have chemicals came to contact with the skin or inhale and create further damage to other body parts if absorbed into or just in contact with a person’s skin.

List of Chemicals used in Printing

Various chemicals printing in the printing industries is usually mixtures of chemicals rather than a single substance. Therefore, there are many of these substances are proprietary prepared formulations with components are not always labeled conspicuously on their original containers.

Printing goes through several processes depend on the print result that varies. Here are some chemicals in the printing process.

1. Nitric Acid

Any acid element plays important role in the Etching, Engraving, Platemaking, Photographic Reproduction process of printing. Etching is a common printing method by using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface. A substance like nitric acid can help the process of creating a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal.

2. Sulphuric Acid

What’s the list of chemicals used in printing? This substance is among many chemicals in the printing process that put the extra special touch in printing such as engraving and etching. However, without proper safety, it can cause skin burns, eye damage, and blisters.

3. Hydroquinone

It is a crucial substance to create a photographic developer or fixer solutions in printing. The risk of using this substance that it can develop to acidic salt solutions and can irritate eyes and even cause dermatitis issue for human health.

4. Isocyanate prepolymers

This chemical involves the adhesive laminating process in printing. The substance binds the printing materials together. However, this chemical can cause irritation of the airways and lungs leading to occupational asthma.

Therefore, the more reason Why Should an Individual working with Chemicals Understand the Hazard. Chemicals need proper care in handling to avoid the unwanted effect on health.

5. Methacrylates

The long process of printing also involves using UV and infra red curable inks, varnishes and lacquers. Handling this substance requires gloves to prevent skin contact and a special mask to avoid inhaling this toxic chemical. That’s the list of chemicals used in printing.

There are Side Effects of Inhaling Cleaning Chemicals just the same as inhaling any other chemicals. In the printing process, the reactive these substance can cause corrosion of the skin, eyes and mucous membranes.

6. Ammonium

This substance applies in the various printing process such as during lithographic, Platemaking, Gravure cylinder preparation and photoengraving. Ammonium is very corrosive and in the long term, usage can cause deep ulcers as well as a risk of cancer.

7. Ketones

This toxic substance plays many roles in printing. However, if workers don’t careful in using it, this substance can cause dizziness and other effects of the central nervous system and also dermatitis issues.

Lithographic fount solution, blanket restorers, cleaning solvents, Gravure and flexographic are among the many processes that use Ketones. It is the ultimate chemicals printing that accommodates many usages.

8. Perchloroethylene

Flexographic and Dyeline Printing use this substance to enable the process to continue. Moreover, this substance also found in the screen inks in printing. Therefore, workers can easily come in contact by skin if they don’t use the proper glove as a precaution. It is a good Example of hazardous substances in the workplace and how safety is the best policy.

9. Sodium hypochlorite

This screen Cleaning chemical acts as strong alkalis to clean the printing. However, it also can corrosion of the skin, eyes and mucous membrane as well as dizziness and drowsiness in mild contact. Long-Term exposure can lead to more severe issues.

10. Methyl ethyl ketone

Inkjet printing is the process of creating an image on the substrate by controlling the projection of a stream of microscopic ink droplets from a minute nozzle above the substrate surface. This substance in the Digital (ink-jet) printing can cause abnormal heart rhythm and rate. Moreover, it can affect the liver and kidneys on long-exposure.

11. Benzene

This chemical acts as a cleaning solvent in the printing process. It is highly carcinogen and possible carcinogen. The detection rate is 54.5% (concentrations: <0.011–0.035 wt%) in the process. There are many Uses of Benzene in Everyday life that mostly as a preservation agent.

12. Methanol

Printing inks often have a small amount of this substance inside it. It is also a common substance in the fountain solutions, cleaning solvents and dilution solvents.

This chemical also among the many chemicals in the List of chemicals used in Embalming due to its solvents function. In addition, it is light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor. Therefore, not many understand this substance is actually highly toxic.

13. Lead Dust/Fume

Simple and almost unseen dust in the process of handling, cutting, grinding lead type or a normal working with metal work can cause acute intoxication leading to an encephalopathic syndrome.

Moreover, all severe illness always start with mild symptoms such as repeated vomiting, lethargy, stupor, convulsions, headache, hallucinations, tremors and coma. Therefore, m0st of the time, workers working with chemicals always the first that show sign of health problems.

14. Photopolymers

This chemical substance is the main light coating material for the most common method of plate preparation in printing. It is a soluble, light-sensitive, organic substance that experience polymerization when exposed to light.

The advantages of photopolymer plates are the high abrasion resistance durability. In addition, they have the ability to resist temperature and humidity changes.

Printing is a large Industry and involves many workers. Therefore the highlight of most manufacture company is to ensure workers safety and also a safe working environment. The various chemicals printing in involve in the business demand a careful knowledge of all the employee enhance with strict and supporting rules. These chemicals are crucial and at the same time poses some hazardous danger if not handles accordingly.