Are Pastel Pencils Toxic?
As far as we are aware the dust from the Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils is not toxic. (Disclaimer: this is only as far as we are aware, we can only offer our opinions based on our own experiences.)This topic was discussed many years ago at the very beginning by Faber-Castell when they first introduced their Pastel Pencil. To be very honest, we can't see that Faber-Castell would produce something that is toxic.
Pastel Pencil Dust vs Soft Pastel Dust
The dust from the pastel pencils is also different soft pastel dust.The dust generated from soft pastels is very fine and goes air bound - it goes everywhere! The pastel pencil dust is not as fine and mostly goes to the side of the paper when you blow it off so you're not breathing it in.When we ran weekly in-person art classes there were students with asthma using the medium without any problem at all.What are your experiences with using Pastel Pencils compared to Soft Pastels? Let us know in the comments below.Update 8th Feb 2019: One of our students, Gypsy, emailed Faber-Castell regarding this issue and here's their response:
Faber-Castell's products are non toxic and are completely cruelty-free therefore none of our products/components are tested on animals and are vegan friendly. However, Faber-Castell does incorporate bees wax in some children's crayons as it is safe for children. When incorporating bees wax we make sure that it's sourced from responsible suppliers.Faber-Castell is also globally committed to the highest social and environmental standards. Count Anton Faber-Castell voluntarily signed a social charter, valid world-wide, that forbids discrimination and child labour in all its factories and guarantees all other conditions of employment of the International Labour Organization (ILO).Nearly 30 years ago Faber-Castell initiated a forestry project which to this day counts as exemplary in the stationery business. Our 10,000 hectares of managed pine forest, the source of raw materials for our black-lead and colour pencils, have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as environmentally compatible, socially equitable, and economically sustainable.Faber-Castell joined the United Nations Global Compact in June 2003. That makes us one of the first medium sized companies to face up to the social, ecological, and economic challenges of globalization as part of a cooperative alliance between politics and private industry.Please also find attached our Carbon neutral leaflet and when you use Faber-Castell products please be assured of the highest quality standards, clean manufacturing process and ethical management of the environment (flora and fauna).
The Carbon leaflet they're referring to can be viewed here.