For over 15 years we have been endeavouring to provide the greatest safety in the use of the products of the LEFRANC & BOURGEOIS brand, irrespective of where they are made in the world.

How?

	By complying with the most recent European (REACH) and American (ASTM) standards
	By ensuring that any children's product conforms to CE standards
	By a team of toxicologists responsive to your needs and the regular testing of raw materials, packaging and formulas in our laboratories
	By a clear and unequivocal communication on substances of concern (and all other regulated compounds) in available material safety data sheets.
	By a rigorous selection of suppliers according to their capacity to supply products that are harmless to humans and the environment

What is REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals)?

The European Union regulation REACH aims to study and assess the foreseeable consequences of chemicals on the health of their users upstream. Ultimately, only duly registered substances (pure products) will be allowed to circulate within the European union. This regulation also has consequences for mixtures containing these substances.

What is ASTM (…)?:

The new "AP" (Approved Products) label identifies fine-arts products that are harmless, and that, by means of a toxicological assessment conducted by a medical expert, are certified not to contain any compound in sufficient quantities as to make the product toxic or hazardous for humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems.

What is the CE (...)?

The CE logo refers to the safety directives for products. For products designed for children, it means that they comply with European toy safety standards.

	All of our suppliers have confirmed their pre-REACH registration intention
	All the raw materials imported from our other production sites are pre-registered with the European Chemicals Agency
	All of our raw materials suppliers have confirmed the absence of substances said to be of "concern" in their products

We have progressively removed the following products:

	glycol ethers that are toxic for reproduction (1992) from all acrylic paints
	lead compounds (2001) from oil paint colours and mediums, all the recipes have been replaced by "lead-free" products whose characteristics remain very close to the old products
	formaldehyde (preservative) since 2007
	butyl phthalate (2005) from the tempera varnishes
	toluene (2007) from oil varnishes and solvents
	boric acid (product toxic for reproduction) used in low quantities in Indian ink

All of Lefranc & Bourgeois children's products comply with the European toy safety standards 'EN 71) of the EC:

	EN 71/1: Mechanical and physical property requirements: sharp edges, small parts able to be swallowed, thickness of plastic films, etc.
	EN 71/3: Toxic compounds, heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, selenium, barium, sulphur, etc.)
	EN 71/7: Only finger paint and ultra-washable tempera meet this specific standard. Temperas are made from pigments or dyes from the cosmetics industry, combined with an embittering agent to prevent young children from ingesting it

Important

To guarantee customers maximum safety, Lefranc & Bourgeois has committed itself to applying regular tests on its production batches. This measure goes beyond the requirements of the European regulations

The fine-arts ranges:

Art schools and increasing numbers of print workshops are now seeking hydrosoluble solutions in order to respect safety, the environment and owing to the toxicity of the solvents, recycling difficulties, etc. AQUA WASH ink is a special ink for etches that was developed by the Lefranc & Bourgeois laboratory. The binder contains several emulsion oils whose only difference lies that this ink can be diluted with… water! Launched in April 2010, a period of several years was required to confirm the perfect stability of the colours and ensure a quality that was identical to traditional inks (solvent washable).

In 1889, LEFRANC & BOURGEOIS took the initiative to specify the chemical composition of the pigments used in its tubes of paint.

More than century later, LEFRANC & BOURGEOIS continue to respect this concern for informing the customer about its products. This website gives you an access to the Safety Data Sheets database for LEFRANC & BOURGEOIS products, in line with the European laws on chemicals.

These safety data sheets provide information on:

	identifying potential hazards
	relevant chemical substances
	first aid in the even of an accident
	storage precautions
	toxicological information
	regulations on transporting the products, etc.

Lefranc & Bourgeois present no serious risk to health if they are used correctly. Nevertheless, we emphasize the fact that, just as for any chemical, high hygiene standards apply both during and after using these products. The warnings on individual products must also be followed. Any prolonged contact with the skin and any ingestion (even involuntary) of the product must be avoided. These restrictions also apply to practices such as applying paint with fingers and putting the brush between lips to shape the tip to a point.

Good working practice must be used with all artists materials, whether or not they are potentially dangerous. Read the product labels carefully before starting.

In your studio:

Check that the room is well ventilated with fresh air, then air it after you have finished working. Do not sleep in the workshop unless you have stored away the painting materials, making particularly sure that you have removed any unused solvents and placed dirty cloths in non-flammable containers that can withstand solvents. Keep all the products, particularly the solvents, closed when you are not using them. You must NEVER expose arts materials to naked flames or sources of great heat.

When you are working:

You should never eat, drink, smoke, or put the tips of the brushes in your mouth when working. This is to prevent you from any accidental ingestion of small quantities. Prevent any contact of solvents with the skin. Do not apply paint directly with your fingers. Use a protective cream or wear surgical gloves when painting with your fingers. When painting with an air gun, wear an approved mask and work in a sufficiently well-ventilated space to prevent you from inhaling the volatile particles in the air of the room. An external extraction ventilation system is recommended. Do not use any more solvent than is necessary for the painting session, as it will evaporate into the room. If you get paint or solvent in your eyes or on your skin, wash it off with plenty of water. Keep artist materials out of the reach of children, animals and away from foodstuffs.

After the painting session:

Dispose of all used solvents, paint-covered cloths and used palettes. Put them in a hermetic, non-flammable container or store them away in an appropriate manner. Wash your hands thoroughly at the end of the painting session. Use a microball soap for the hands to remove any traces of paint.

	Dangerous for environment Means that the product and the recipients containing it must be disposed of in approved installations (e.g. waste collection centre with sorting facilities).		Irritant Concerns for example, ball ground Charbonnel. These products are likely to involve an irritation or allergies by repeated or prolonged contact with skin.
	Flammable These products can ignite easily in presence of a source of ignition. It is necessary to keep the container quite closed. Not to smoke during the use and to ventilate correctly the room of use (the vapour is also flammable). NB: linseed oils are not labelled “flammable”. However it should be known that the rags impregnated of linseed oil or oil-based paints can spontaneously ignite. Keep them in a closed metal container.
	Harmful Concerns solvents such as rectified turpentine, white-spirit May give rise to chronic risks to human health in the event that they are inhaled, ingested or if the product penetrates the skin. Do not breathe in the vapours. Avoid any contact with the skin and eyes. Wash hands after use.		Eco-packing Indicates that the company which have put the product on sale have paid a tax to the « Eco-packing » organization so that this one finances selective waste collect in communes.
	Graphic symbol for young children warning (for toys) Recommendations for the children age must be done by supplier if this symbol appears. The reason why this symbol is put on product must appear as well. For example: “Contains small detachable parts which can be swallowed by young children”		The « CE » logo refers to Safety European Directives. For children paints it means that products are in conformity with Toy safety norms.
	United States Used in USA. Means that product has been tested by an independent toxicologist and that it is considered as non toxic. In USA, this symbol is used on dangerous products for health, which specific sentences.

Access to safety data sheets : http://www.colart.fr/Fdds