yes, it’s sad, it’s such a lovely color. I’ve made several “faux malachite” paints using a few of my foraged paints and some synthetic green, just to have that color in my palette that I know won’t change!

You’re welcome 😊

I believe the golden rule for all paint makers is to always wear a dust/filter mask when working with any kind of pigments, since there are many pigments used every day that are composed of heavy metals, I wouldn't be too concerned as Kjodi has been making paints for a long time! The main issue with working with malachite is not that it's carcinogenic, but rather it will damage your lungs when you breathe it in which is why pigment retailers will only sell it to you if you are a "professional" . Malachite as a carcinogen otherwise is lower risk unless you are ingesting it or some how letting it enter your system (there was a time when it was used as a green food colorant, yikes), which is less likely to happen in this scenario especially when it's being handled in a much smaller amount + it has a binder!

Absolutely - the copper pigments are not ones you want to breath in (actually no dusty pigments should be breathed in, toxic or not). I have dust masks and a respirator and I wear them for sure when I’m working with these pigments in their dry form. I don’t generally work with the heavy metals in their dry form (and I try not to collect my pigments near mine tailings, where bad things can get concentrated). But you never know in the wild, so I am very careful!