Expert: Sam Kelly - 7/16/2009

Question
I am doing raku firing outside. I noticed after that my throat and mouth feel sore and when I brushed my teeth, what I spit out was actually gray in color. I use newspaper for my firings.... If there is residue in my mouth from doing this, I am worried about my lungs. Do you have any collected information on this?

Answer
Hi Sherry, more than likley its carbon from the smoke, better get a good
quality face mask. Trouble with raku is that the potter is close to the firing process and will breathe in all sorts of by-product from the process. Some raku glazes are quite toxic. If you know what your glazes contain here is a web site to check the material against for toxicity.

http://digitalfire.com/4sight/hazards/index.html

Sam