Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Local Focus: Ceramics Association warn of silica dust danger to potters

Georgie Ormond
Georgie Ormond
NZ Herald·
25 May, 2021 12:17 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Health and safety is important to potters too. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Dangerous isn't a word usually associated with making pottery. But the process, from handling raw clay right through to clean-up, can be hazardous to health if it's not managed properly.

"Basically the clay we work with as potters, doesn't matter where it comes from, contains a certain amount of silica," said the newly appointed Regional Councillor for the NZ Ceramics Association, Karla Marie.

"Silica is a very, very fine dust that can quite easily get up and into the air. And when you inhale, it's such fine particles and your body doesn't know how to process it or purge it, so it builds up in your lungs. And when your lungs reach a certain level of build-up then you can develop a disease called silicosis," she said.

Marie is an industrial health and safety expert and has transferred her knowledge to ceramics.

"I looked after health and safety at a very large aluminium refinery. Health and safety systems have been drummed into me but it took me a minute when I got into pottery, to flip my brain into the health and safety aspects."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Marie says silica dust is sometimes referred to as the new asbestos. And while alarming, simple practices will keep potters safe, like keeping the studio whistle-clean. Even the smallest piece of dry clay is a potential risk. A comprehensive book called "Potters Beware" written in the '70s by New Zealander Rosemary Perry, warns of the dangers and has just been made available online.

Popular on Instagram, Marie teaches pottery in her Wellington Studio and is looking forward to the opportunity to share her knowledge with even more potters.

Part of her new role is to connect with the many pottery societies and studios from Taranaki to Wellington, to see how the national organisation can support them and make sure their events are on the national calendar.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This year the Ceramic Association celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first exhibition by Studio Potters.

• All members have until August 20 to submit works. Entry forms are online at www.ceramics.org.nz.

Made with funding from

Discover more

New Zealand

Local Focus: On a mission to find the best pie in Whanganui

17 May 09:06 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Premium
OpinionNicky Rennie

Nicky Rennie: Let this be a lesson to you

12 Sep 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

‘I’ve found a steam train’: Historical locomotive discovered in sand bank

12 Sep 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Marton Dam classified ‘dangerous’ under new government safety regulations

12 Sep 05:00 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Premium
Premium
Nicky Rennie: Let this be a lesson to you
OpinionNicky Rennie

Nicky Rennie: Let this be a lesson to you

OPINION: I quickly scanned the room for both my common sense and my intelligence.

12 Sep 05:00 PM
‘I’ve found a steam train’: Historical locomotive discovered in sand bank
Whanganui Chronicle

‘I’ve found a steam train’: Historical locomotive discovered in sand bank

12 Sep 05:00 PM
Marton Dam classified ‘dangerous’ under new government safety regulations
Whanganui Chronicle

Marton Dam classified ‘dangerous’ under new government safety regulations

12 Sep 05:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP