Plexiglass
QUESTION:
Hi Debra -
I am looking into changing out the glass in the picture frames and large artwork frames in my home to plexiglass. I'm doing this because I live where earthquakes are common and I have two toddlers.
Are there any toxic issues regarding plexiglass?
As always, thanks for your great advice!!
POSTED BY RONDA :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 09/09/2009 3:05 AM
DEBRA'S ANSWER:
Plexiglass is made from acrylic plastic, which does outgas some. It's not a material I would use personally if I had another choice, but it's also not the most toxic material in the world.
I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area--famous for it's earthquakes--for almost fifty years and had glass in my frames the entire time. I never had a problem with it. Even in the Loma Priata quake that brought freeways crashing down.
I think the likelihood of your children being next to a framed picture at the very moment an earthquake is occuring AND having that picture fall to the ground is very slim. On the other hand, acrylic would be outgassing in your home every day.
BTW, in searching for what Plexiglass is made from, I came across a useful website. It's called MatWeb, and it lists material property data. Now, I'm not so interested in the properties of these materials beyond their toxicity (which it doesn't list), but it does list a lot of brand name products and the materials they are made from. Took me about a minute to find out Plexiglass is made from acrylic.
Debra :-)
I have lived in the SF Bay area for 30 years and received this effective advice about hanging pictures here. The main issue with hanging art is that the frequent smaller temblors will often cause them to hang crookedly, and this solution solves both issues: Always use two hooks, and make certain they are (each) strong enough for the weight of the object being hung. Enjoy your art and especially enjoy your toddlers!
POSTED BY KAREN :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 09/09/2009 2:25 PM
