Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Should I earn an Associate's Degree in Architecture or drafting technologies?
Hmm... I've never perceived much risk that my clients are out there pulling permits for other sites with my drawings. What does happen is that they and their contractors run off extra drawing sets rather than order them through me, to avoid my small printing markup. Neither diazo or cyanotype printing would help that. Many of us have had experiences in scanning very old diazo and cyanotype sheets for use as CAD underlays, available existing conditions information in bid sets, etc. - both are as easy to scan as any CAD drawing and produce legible prints.
Cyanotype is pretty safe on a limited basis - enough so that preschool kids do arts and crafts projects with it. Longer term exposure is another question. Likely you're right that nobody's ever died of it, at least not directly and solely - that's not necessarily the threshold I'd use in determining whether to do it regularly, especially in my own home. From the Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology, and Oncology: "Chemicals used in the cyanotype process are skin sensitizers and highly toxic. Even after the practice is discontinued, work surfaces in proximity continue to test positive for contamination with hexavalent chromium. Symptoms may recur indefinitely when handling materials treated with the cyanotype process. Symptoms may include nausea, finger and facial edema, headaches, and mucous membrane irritation. Occupational dermatitis and occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds are associated with cyanotype processes in work environments of printers, artists and textile workers, and historically in those of engineers."
I told it, where gloves. How hard is that to understand. Frank Lloyd Wright lived a rightful long age and he was exposed to cyanotype. His own health issues in his later years had more to do with smoking and such.
Secondly, the more people isolate themselves from these things which exists in nature as well and so forth, they weaken their immunity. You can strengthen your immunity response by isolating yourself. Otherwise, you might as well walk around everywhere in an environmental suit.
Don't get too worried about the chemicals. Sure, use proper handling and you should be fine. I've worked with stuff involving chemicals where you need to wear a respirator and wear gloves and all that while the epoxy solutions are mixed and the 'curing' process that is required for the solutions to form a solid epoxy as used in column restoration.
That is why I criticize overzealous scare of chemical use when it is far overboard. The reasons architects switched from cyanotype to diazo during the mid-20th century (give or take a decade or so), is that diazo was a faster process as it was a relatively dry process and didn't have to wait for the sheets to dry. Cyanotype is a slower process.
I'm not trying to say one can't use this stuff but even production use to make sets of drawings isn't ever going to have sufficient amount such off-gasing of hydrogen cyanide gas. The off-gas rate would be way too low to be a health risk in a normal office operation. If you have ventilation, even standard air convection. I live in the coastal part of Oregon and most of the time, there is enough air movement with windows open to open wide or shut doors. Only occassionally a fan would even be needed. The damn attic loft area has plenty of gable space as well so considerably more cubic volume of space.
It is also isolated from the house as there is no interior stairs to the attic loft.
At least, none that is in operation (ie. sealed off and covered so to an extent there physically is but it isn't accessible as they are walled off or otherwise covered over. Therefore, there isn't a practical access to it or means for the off-gasses to get into the rest of the house area below.
Can this thread please be closed......
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