I took a workshop one summer with two artists who specialize in airbrush and fabric work. We were NOT allowed to do airbrush work without using a respirator--the kind that looks like a gas mask. Also, the instructors would not allow us to heat-set our work ( using irons) without wearing the respirators. They had lost two good friends (also artists) to cancer and felt that constant exposure to fumes, vapors, particles, etc. had contributed to the cancer.