@bananamangodog I think I've found the answer - branded phosphorescent pigment threads are non toxic to touch. ]
So - have just learned about Glow In The Dark Embroidery thread.
Someone please explain to me what *precisely* makes it work because I suspect micro levels of toxicity and so far my internet sleuthing cannot uncover any definitive answer..
Thank you all.
#Chemistry #Embroidery #phosphor #glowinthedark #Yarn #Crafting #dmcthreads
@Faintdreams it's the same glow-in-the-dark stuff that works for things like glow-in-the-dark plastic - if you've ever handled the stuff, it's very obviously plasticky.
from that it seems likely it's just the regular phosphors as per https://www.eia.gov/kids/for-teachers/lesson-plans/pdfs/GlowInTheDarkSecondary.pdf , https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question388.htm from what i know both zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate are actually fairly benign, especially locked away in that plastic. here's a materials sheet for it https://www.coregravel.ca/site/assets/files/1018/chemistry_of_glow_-_englishfrench.pdf especially when it is enhanced with europium it is considered exceedingly benign, only really thing to look out for is dipping it in acid - otherwise, it's non-toxic, non-reactive, stable, and doesn't decompose into anything nasty; it is specifically studied and certified as harmless by the powers that be. that last link has the info about the exact crystaline structure, as well as exactly what electrons are going where if you're excited to pin down what the electron orbitals are doing to absorb the energy from light and then fluoresce.
tbh with its one note of "don't do this", i feel like not dipping your embroidery in acid is a good idea anyway lol? that's pretty much Oops Embroidery Very Over.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_aluminate here is the wikipedia article for the substance as well - they don't even really mention "don't put it in acid" because i assume they don't know why the fuck you would put something in acid and expect it to go well lmao, but the only health hazard is when you're working with the powder directly and then it can irritate your mucous membranes. which, well, that's just powders really. you can do that to yourself with powdered sugar, cocoa or salt as well lol, through pure mechanical irritation means, so it's not anything that will cause toxicity.
(though really - when i say that - you must understand the adage of "the dose makes the poison". obviously there's levels of sugar, salt, and cocoa that can become toxic. but those are what you get in very large doses lol. generally microtoxicity is a thing where it's a substance obviously kicking in the door and wrecking the place enough to be caught on that micro level. and even then, if i am being honest, you would be downright amazed at what human bodies are just fine with dealing with, and they just keep on truckin', especially if we're talking about one-off exposure. problems tend to come about when it's an everyday constant thing, like the radium girls licking their paintbrushes every single day at work. and that's, y'know, fuckin' radium. and even then it's not so much that it was toxic - it's the fact that the body fumbled the radium and used it like calcium when it doesn't actually make a good substitute whoops. radium is known to be Pretty Darn Biologically Reactive because of the radioactivity. meanwhile the glow in the dark substances are just playing catch with electrons coming in from light, and are known to be not biologically reactive at all.)
tldr: don't do lines of it like cocaine 'cos you'll sneeze a lot, and don't dip it in acid to melt it, and you'll be fine. this is the nice safe friendly form of fluorescence where it's just electrons going OMG SUNLIGHT YAAAY LET'S WIGGLE and then being like toddlers hopped up on sugar in the backseat of a car on the drive home until the rest of the atom can make them go to bed.
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