USING PLASTER OF PARIS IN SCHOOLS

Plaster of Paris is used in science and in art & design, both in primary and secondary schools. Two
serious accidents, both in art lessons in secondary schools, have raised concerns about its safe use. This
leaflet is intended to provide guidance on safe practice.
Hazards of plaster of Paris
Plaster of Paris is partially-hydrated calcium sulfate, CaSO4.½H2O. Mixed with water it hydrates fully to
CaSO4.2H2O, becomes extremely hot, expands slightly and sets hard. Sometimes the plaster of Paris is
impregnated into bandage-type materials and is then known as Modroc. This makes it even stronger (just
like reinforcing rods in concrete). There are a variety of trade names and the exact properties may vary
slightly, depending on the formulation.
By law, all suppliers are obliged to provide purchasers with a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). Some suppliers
do not classify plaster of Paris as hazardous on the SDS therefore no hazard-warning label is required
under EU health & safety law. Some classify the dust as IRRITANT. All warn that plaster of Paris becomes
hot when mixed with water but this does not necessitate a hazard-warning label. Suppliers for the art
market, but not usually laboratory suppliers, often warn specifically against encasing parts of the body in
plaster of Paris.
Experiments indicate that, with bulk amounts of plaster, the temperature can reach 60 °C under some
circumstances. Plaster of Paris causes heat burns, not chemical burns. It is of course used for setting
fractured bones but in such cases it is never put in direct contact with the skin. In addition, it is used in
relatively thin layers so that the heat can dissipate. The plaster sets very hard. In medical applications it is
removed using a vibrating, dull, round blade.
Several years ago an accident was reported in a Scottish school1 in which a pupil was trying to make a
plaster mould of his hand and arm (described in the report as a plaster cast). As the plaster set it became
very hot and he was unable to remove his hand which suffered serious burns. Further damage was
caused by the use of a chisel in an attempt to remove the plaster. Two fingers were amputated.
More recently, a similar incident was reported in a school in England. Details are not yet clear because, at
the time of writing, the HSE is still investigating. However, it would appear that a pupil placed her hands
into a large amount of plaster of Paris mixed with water, intending to make a plaster mould of the hands
from which she might then make a cast. The plaster of Paris became hot, expanded slightly and set so
that she was unable to remove her hands. Fingers and thumbs from both hands had to be amputated.

1 See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4533987.stm
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Use of plaster of Paris in science lessons
Plaster of Paris as a laboratory chemical presents no significant risks. Small amounts can be handled in
test tubes, beakers, etc with no problems. We also think it is safe to make a plaster cast of a fossil or a
shoe print or similar. A small amount of slurry would be made up, e.g. in a yoghurt pot and poured into
the mould. A few splashes on the hand would be washed off with no injury. Injury only results when the
plaster cannot be removed quickly.
Use of plaster of Paris in art & design lessons
Making a plaster mould or cast of small objects presents no significant risk. A plaster mould of the palm
of the hand, for example, could be made by using the plaster in a shallow tray. From this the hand could
easily be removed as the plaster becomes hot and starts to harden. The hand should be washed with
soapy water soon afterwards.
It would not be safe to attempt to make a mould of the whole hand or encase any other part of the
body. As the plaster hardens and expands it is impossible to remove the hand that is locked into place
and gradually heated until it is burnt.
If a school wishes to make a mould of the hand (or other body parts) for the purpose of casting, the
safest, fastest, most accurate and cleanest material to use is alginate (a flexible, moulding compound
sometimes used in dentistry). Alternatively, use a clay press mould. Plaster is then poured into the mould
to make the cast. If plaster were to be used to make a mould then it would be made in two sections using
Fine Casting Plaster. A 5 mm layer should suffice, backed up by two or three layers of plaster bandage,
to prevent cracking.
Some schools might wish to use plaster of Paris for modelling purposes or making sculptures, with no
intention of making plaster moulds. In such cases, it is likely that there would be frequent contact with the
skin. Although there would be no risk of burning from a thin layer, skin irritation might be possible as a
result of prolonged contact and attempts at removal might result in abrasion. Consider wearing
disposable gloves or the use of a barrier cream.
However, some sculptures might require large quantities of plaster of Paris. In this case, the problem
would be trying to ensure that under no circumstances were the pupils able to immerse the whole hand or
other body part in the mix. The teacher might warn them but would they obey? If quantities are kept small
then there would not be a problem but, with larger quantities, close teacher supervision would be required
to ensure there are no misunderstandings, or indeed, deliberate disregard of warnings.
The National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) publishes A Guide to Safe Practice in Art
& Design on its web site2. This is an extract of the guidance on using plaster of Paris.
7.12 Plaster of Paris
When mixed with water, this material hardens and then slowly becomes hot - temperatures as high as 60 ˚C.
NEVER attempt to make a cast enclosing any part of the body using this material.
Failure to follow this instruction can cause severe burns that may require surgical removal of affected tissue
or amputation of limb.

Direct, prolonged or repeated contact with the skin may cause irritation and attempts at removal can result in
abrasions. Rinse with water until free of material to avoid abrasions, then wash skin thoroughly with mild soap
and water.

If Plaster of Paris is in contact with eyes, first rinse with plenty of water for several minutes (remove contact
lenses if easily possible), then take to a doctor.

Plaster of Paris dust needs to be controlled as it is an irritant that can cause usually mild breathing difficulties.

2 See www.nsead.org
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There has been some concern about the use of plaster of Paris in schools as a result of two incidences. In
both cases pupils had immersed their hand(s) in a large amount of material with the intention of making a
plaster mould. As the plaster set it became hot and, because they were unable to remove their hands, both
suffered serious burns. PS 72 was produced to provide guidance on safe practice.

Here at CLEAPSS some investigative work has been carried out to assess the temperature change of plaster
of Paris when it is prepared and left to set. Using a commercially available brand, various volumes of material
were prepared and the core temperature of each was logged. It was found that the maximum temperature
obtained increased as the volume of plaster increased. 500 ml of plaster produced a maximum temperature of
49 °C (Figure 1).

Figure 1

A larger volume of 4 litres, which was considered to be more then sufficient to immerse a hand in, reached a
maximum temperature of 54 °C (Figure 2).

Figure 2

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Research found various sources of information on burns. From this information it is worth considering the
following. Burn injuries to the skin depend on the temperature that the skin is exposed to and the exposure
time. Human skin can tolerate temperatures as high as 44 °C for a relatively long time before irreversible injury
occurs. In immersion scalds the severity of injury is greater than that in spill scalds because the duration of
contact between the hot liquid and the skin can be considerably longer. The risk of scalding from hot water
increases rapidly as the water temperature increases above 45 °C. It can take 5 minutes for a full thickness
burn to occur with skin exposed to a water temperature of 48 °C. Partial thickness burns can occur within 30
seconds at 55 °C.

The temperature of the larger volume of plaster of Paris in our investigation remained above 48 °C for 70
minutes.

Similar results were obtained using material from a different supplier. A comparison of the two suppliers is
shown in Figure 3.

60

50
Temperature ('c)

40
Supplier 1
30
Supplier 2
20

10

0
0 50 100 150 200
Time (mins)

Figure 3

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