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Today, we're diving deep into the heart of what makes our Ecrylimer casting products not just unique, but a safer and more eco-conscious choice for professionals, artists and hobbyists alike. We understand
your concerns about the safety and environmental impact of crafting materials because we share
those concerns. That's why we've compiled a comprehensive guide addressing your most common
questions.
Let’s start with the most pressing and real concern, Silicosis.
Crystalline Silica – A Hazard You Won't Find in Our Casting Compounds
As of writing, 579 Australians are afflicted with Silicosis for which there is no cure.
Of right and major concern in the world presently is exposure to Crystalline Silica, a known carcinogen, causing Silicosis.
The danger of Crystalline Silica, the cause of Silicosis (a type of lung cancer), is not in using the end
product, it is in the manufacture of that end product. Specifically, by drilling, sanding etc so that the
dust produced by that activity becomes inhaled.
Bramblier's products, including Ecrylimer, are legally free of this lethal substance. When people
properly say “legally free” it means that the PPM (Parts Per Million) of Crystalline Silica in a certain
product are so tiny, (single digit PPM), they do not require reporting under the GHS7. We have no
issue acknowledging Ecrylimer BOLD may have a presence, up to approx. 7 Parts Per Million of
naturally occurring Silica. This is minuscule. If you prefer your numbers as a percentage that’s
0.0007% of total mass, or about half a grain of rice if you had 1 tonne of it - who said maths wasn’t
useful?
Ecrylimer PRO by the way contains no measurable Crystalline Silica. This makes Ecrylimer
significantly safer, if not the safest of the many molding and casting compounds out there. By
comparison to say Caesarstone, BOLD is 99.999992% safer. Caesarstone, at its own admission,
contains of up to 93% Crystalline Silica, (up to 930 KG per tonne).
Ecrylimer is a Silica free casting compound concrete casting alternative
A final word on Crystalline Silica dust. If you are using any type of concrete to create objects, be they pots or candles or anything in between, check what the ingredients of that concrete is. If it contains Portland
Cement, (a great many do), it will contain Silica. As it also will if it contains quartz or a variety of other
elements. A popular (made in the USA) concrete type product sold in Australia and used by crafters, very
popularly candle makers, by the USA data contains up to 2% Crystalline Silica. That’s up to 2KG of
Crystalline Silica per 100 KG. If you’re one of these users, please, for your own longevity or those
around you, pets included, look for an alternative.
As a general note for context, dust from anything is not good to inhale. As a hard rule, don’t put
yourself in a position to have to breathe in anything except clean air. You wouldn’t intentionally stand
by a dusty road and breathe in the dirt stirred up by passing vehicles. 100% natural dust isn’t good for
you just because it’s 100% natural either!
Comparing Ecrylimer with the other Hazards in all major Molding and Casting Products
When it comes to safety, Ecrylimer stands out starkly against other major products. Not all these
brands are manufactured in Australia, and most definitely none but Ecrylimer are made in Tasmania.
Every other brand of an "eco resin" between them, have hazardous chemicals such as Lime, Biocides (commonly used in pesticides), Ammonia (some products reek of it), Formaldehyde (a VOC – Volatile Organic Compound), and Titanium Dioxide Powder, which all pose various and potentially very serious, health risks to you and those around you. In glaring contrast, Ecrylimer is free from ALL these chemical substances, as they were purposefully excluded in the testing phase before Ecrylimer was released in 2021.
Bramblier aspires to the highest safety standards attainable let alone just by those set by Safe Work
Australia.
We strongly encourage you to read the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) of any product that you use. Any manufacturer or supplier is legally required to supply these to you. An SDS is in a standard format, so
once you’ve read one, it will become less confusing. If your supplier won’t provide an SDS to you, contact Safe Work Australia, (info@swa.gov.au).
Bramblier uses a “Hierarchy of Controls” approach to Risk. The most effective, as you can see from the diagram, is to eliminate a risk rather than mitigate it. The result for you is this translates to a real world
philosophy that means we didn’t put any nasty chemicals into our products in the first place!
Your Safety – Our Priority
We encourage you to always inquire about the safety aspects of any product you use. If you have
concerns about the safety of a product, consider switching to a safer alternative like Ecrylimer. At
Bramblier, we prioritise your health and wellbeing, offering transparent and comprehensive
information about our products. We developed / tested all our products ourselves. This means we
had to use all these products, sometimes for many months, while we made adjustments to formulas.
We don’t want to create and cast with anything that is hazardous to our health, hence our focus is on your health by default as well as intentionally.
All of our products were developed post 2020, making them less than 3 years old. We were able to
leverage safer and higher tech, and far higher worldwide agreed standards to produce our products.
Other products have been on the market for over 40 years! This is way back when the Surgeon
General started doing battle with the Tobacco companies, who were being far less than forthright
about what they knew damn well was killing people. Similarly, at the time, the battle around the
tragic mining of blue Asbestos was underway.
Ecrylimer's Durability and Sustainability
While we’re being completely frank here, Ecrylimer isn't biodegradable, it’s not designed to be and if you think about all the uses to which it can be applied, you wouldn’t want it to be! Lasting durability
is a form of eco-friendliness, akin to pottery. Its long-lasting nature reduces the need for
replacements, thus contributing to waste reduction. Although not traditionally recyclable, broken
Ecrylimer pieces can be artistically repaired using the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which embodies
sustainability by giving new life to broken objects. Or enmesh into new Ecrylimer pieces via
techniques such as Terrazzo or elemental construction, (adding elements bound by Ecrylimer).
Inside Ecrylimer: Safety and Composition
Released in 2021, Ecrylimer is a result of meticulous research and understanding of crafting material
safety. Our commitment to safety is not just a claim but a backed-up practice. Our manager, holds a
degree in Public Safety and with published technical papers on hazardous chemical responses,
ensures our products are crafted with utmost safety considerations.
Why Trust Bramblier?
Our expertise and dedication to safety and environmental consciousness set us apart in the crafting
market. The information on our products; safety and impact, is verifiable and open-source. Having
invented Ecrylimer ourselves, we're intimately familiar with its composition, ensuring it contains no
harmful substances. Our products undergo rigorous testing and adhere to the highest standards of
quality and safety.
Proudly Australian
Yes, we're 100% Australian-owned, operating our manufacturing from Launceston, Tasmania. Our
roots and operations are deeply entrenched in Australia, ensuring that we understand and cater to
the safe and entertaining needs of not just our local community, but the communities of over a
dozen other countries. Happy Crafting! Gabbi & Joe xx
Psst… want to find out more about Bramblier’s Ecrylimer Eco Casting Compound - Click here!