Flame Azalea - 13

I learned something today.  I went online to order some more paint from my favorite online art supply, Dick Blick Art Materials, and I noticed strange icons next to the cadmium paints.  Turns out these were environmental and health hazard warnings.  Caution, caution, caution must be used when using these products!  They are toxic!  They are carcinogenic!  Yikes!  It is true.  Cadmium is a highly toxic substance and 2,000 tons of it are used annually in colored cadmium pigments.  Brilliantly colored, with good permanence and tinting power, the cadmium colors gained quick popularity when they were introduced, replacing vermilion which is very fugitive (quick to fade).  But are these wonderful attributes worth the risk of coming in contact with them at the artist table?  It turns out much of the risk can be avoided by taking normal precautions.  Don't breathe the vapors, don't get it on your skin, don't lick the paintbrush, wash your hands, etc.  Well I think I'm OK.  Unlike oil paint, which is extremely messy in my opinion, watercolor is a neat medium, especially the dry brush methods I use.  Unless I have a fight with the cap of an old paint tube that refuses to loosen up and unscrew, I stay pretty well clean and paint-free.  So I went ahead and placed my order.  Onward!