While we continually jest at fiends smokin cracks, we fail to recognize the toxic we, ourselves, inhale. Chlorohydrocarbons. Or more commonly know as spray paint.

Most realize the dangers of constant exposure to spray paint fumes, but few take the precautions of investing in headgrear to save themselves. "You don't go out bombing and then stop to think "Hey I wonder how this is affecting my brain?" chuckles Gush. But you should. And probably would if you discovered what might be your fate.

On a scientific level, spray paint contains many dangerous gases, such as chlorohydrocarbons, ketones, xylene and hydrocarbons. These chemicals may cause headaches, nausea, sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, fatigue, rapid pulse, lack of coordination and loss of appetite. They may also slow your heart and respiratory rates and impair your judgement ability. There has also been many cases where writers lose the ability to control when they "relieve" themselves. In other words, shitting their drawls in public.

In the race to fame, an anus with a mind of it's own might be a small price to pay for some; but the other consequences are not so dismissable. From the first sweep of an outline to the last fade of a fill in, the mists of venom are destroying your mind. Your brain is composed of about one-third fatty tissue and the toxin reacts with these tissues by literally dissolving them, preventing you from performing everyday tasks like walking, talking and even thinking. While a mustard brain might be a fair trade for props, spray paint also effects your kidneys, liver, and bone marrow. As a result, you could damage your immune system, lose the ability to distribute oxygen and food throughout your body and leave what was meant to be in the toilet still inside your body.

With all these hazards, there's still no reason not to paint your town purple. By shrouding your grill with a face mask, all these pitfalls can be lessened or avoided altogether. Naturally, the more sophisticated the headgear, the better the protection. Masks vary from price, from your average two dollar mask, to a more efficient piece of equipment that will break you for fifty dollars. Most of your more expensive, and high quality masks have dual air cartridges that can be replaced when the air filter is dirty. Masks do not provide oxygen, they simply clean the existing air in your small atmosphere. The replacement for air cartridges will cost you twenty-two dollars and will protect you from organic vapors, dust, mists, hydrogen chloride and all the other chemicals that might be found in paint. It is suggested that you seek professional advice from the paint store on the fitting and care of the mask; masks are not to be used by anyone who has a beard or a heavy amounts of facial hair because they cannot guarantee your safety.

Whatever your decision is on the type of mask to purchase, be aware of the dangers your submitting yourself to when your painting. Though the cost of the equipment may be high, the cost of not buy buying the equipment is higher. At the very least, if you decide not to buy a mask, we suggest you take a bandanna, soak it in water and wrap it around your mouth and nose. The water will clog up the pores in the bandanna, providing a small amount of protection from the vapors. Though this method does not provide even a fraction of the protection a sophisticated mask does, it's better than standing "naked" in a swarm of chemicals.

Rumple. "...how paint affects your body." The Hip Hop (Not Rap) Subculture Magazine. 1997.

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