Safety First!

 They are hazards associated with resin 3d printing, and you should be aware of them and act appropriately.

What do I know about it? I have worked in the chemical industry for several decades, part of my job is writing safety data sheets and I currently serve on a committee reviewed safety across an entire chemical plant. That said, I am not an expert on resin, so this is only a guide.

You are the one who is ultimately responsible for your safety!

iso-Propyl Alcohol (IPA)

IPA is harmful and flammable.

Keep it away from naked flames and electrical sparks. That said, with a flash point of 12°C, it is safer than acetone (-18°C) or petrol (-43°C).

Do not drink it. Yes, it has alcohol in the name, but it would still be bad for you.

Try to keep it off your skin, but it is not that big a deal. IPA was the main ingredient in the hand wash we were all deliberately putting on our hands during "lockdown", so it is really not that hazardous.

If you have a reaction to IPA, it is more likely to be resin dissolved in IPA. The real hazard of IPA is that it will help transport chemicals in the resin through the skin to some degree.

Disposal: If you only use the IPA for resin, you should be able to leave it in a clear, sealed bottle outside, and the resin will cure. The IPA can then be recovered and reused just by decanting off. Otherwise, allow to evaporate outside.

Resin

It is the resin that is the real hazard, not the IPA. This stuff I use does not have hazard labels on it, but I would assume that is because it is badly labelled, not because it is harmless.

There are different types of resin, and to some degree the hazards will vary between them. As a general rule, keep it off your hands. If you do get it on your hands, you will know about it because the stuff it very sticky. Wash off as soon as possible, being carefully not to contaminate other surfaces.

Note that it is best to use cold water to wash off chemicals; hot water open the pores and soap helps transport chemicals through the skin. Wash off what you can with cold water, then use warm water and soap.

Once fully cured (so it is not sticky) it should not be hazardous.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the big risk is sensitisation. That means that after much use your skin will become sensitive to it and will react to on contact, likely getting worse each time.

Disposal: Put out in the sun to cure. Once it is fully cured it can be thrown in the bin. I am pretty sure it cannot be recycled.

UV light

UV light can seriously damage your eyes. That means both the UV light from the screen in the printer and the lights in the curing station.

In normal use, it is not possible to see the light in your printer - it has a tank of resin covering it. If the resin runs out, it should still have the  cover on the printer.

The curing station is more problematic, and I recommend great care. I am not sure how well the cover filters UV light, so I carefully avoid looking at it whilst it is on. Obviously only use with the cover on. Be careful of reflective surfaces.

A note about gloves

You need to use gloves suitable for the substances you are handling, as different substances can penetrate different glove materials to varying degrees. For 3d printing that means using nitrile gloves.

There is a skill to using gloves. 

The first point is that gloves are a last resort of protection. Do not think that you have gloves on so can dip your hands in resin; rather you should aim to keep gloves free of resin. This will greatly reduce the chances of resin getting spread around.

You need to be conscious of what surfaces are to be considered contaminated and what are not - and use the gloves only for the former. It is easy to use gloves for everything, and so get resin everywhere, then take the gloves off, and handle surfaces that should be clean with your bare hands.

And did you touch the outside of your gloves to take them off? There is a knack to removing gloves without touching the outside of them.

Do not touch your face whilst wearing gloves.