Always keep containers tightly lidded when you are not actively using them. Painting mediums and varnishes also contain solvents, so take appropriate precautions when using them, too. Alkyd paints and mediums contain solvents, making them more hazardous than conventional oil paints. New products such as the MAX Grumbacher Oil Colors, which clean up with water, provide further alternatives to oil painters who wish to reduce solvent exposure. Minimize skin contact with paints and pigments.
Some paints contain hazardous pigments.
Daniel Smith paints use low soluble, chemically pure cadmiums which contain less than one part per million soluble cadmium, greatly reducing potential health risks. It is important to read the labels on your paint tubes. While it's easy to avoid a paint called Lead White, you may not realize that some Naples Yellow formulations include lead. Most manufacturers now include health labeling on their tubes which will alert you to specific hazardous components. Latex gloves or protective creams minimize contact and possible absorption of paint or solvents, and have become increasingly popular with artists.