In my opinion, I think most companies today try harder than ever to keep hazardous materials out of their products, because otherwise people will just buy safer alternatives. They also definitely want to avoid lawsuits. That said, the great majority, but NOT ALL artists' materials are free of hazardous chemicals such as lead, etc.
How do you know that a particular product is safe? A little research can help.
You should know about ACMI: The Artist's and Creative Materials Institute. Their website is designed to help you find out if a particular material you wish to use is safe-and this site applies NOT JUST to inks, but to many, many other kinds of art materials as well.
http://www.acminet.org/index.htm
As their website states, the institute was founded in 1936 to help find materials for children and professional artists that are non-toxic.
Their seal is on many art products. Look at the back of an oil paint tube for a particular color, or somewhere on the package of an art product, and hopefully you will find a round seal. In the seal, if the product is non-toxic, you will see two large letters: "AP."
This is what AP means, according to the ACMI website: "Products bearing the new AP (Approved Product) Seal of the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) are certified in a program of toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans or to cause acute or chronic health problems. . . ."
If the seal is round and has the letters "CL" inside, if you are to going to use the product, you need to take some precautions with it. Consult ACMI's standards for help. There are many alternatives in artist materials, so you may simply decide to use another product.
Older materials may have different listings. Consult the ACMI pdf for this information:
http://www.acminet.org/CPList.pdf
To do a search on a particular material, they generally have a useful search engine to finding a particular manufacturer, brand, and specific product. As of this writing the materials list is being revised.
Once it is back up, it would work this way:
On the site, click: home - then certified products - then use the search engine.
http://www.acminet.org/CPListSearch.html
Right now it's down, but they still have a listing of product safety.
The certified products list can be found by clicking on an icon just below the usual search engine.
http://www.acminet.org/CPList.pdf
Let's say that I want to find out if my Winsor & Newton Drawing Ink is an Approved Product. On page 15, I find the Winsor drawing inks in the 2nd column. According to ACMI, many of these inks will carry the AP listing, but some do not. This means that some of those inks I will have to find out if there is a cautionary label on the package somewhere. If there is an AP symbol, I am good to go.
Look at the packages of all products carefully, and if you have questions as to use, always read directions carefully. ACMI will have a good deal of information to help you, as will manufacturer's sites. And finally, please ALWAYS use safe products with the AP label when allowing children to use art materials, and most importantly, use your common sense. Here's the last word on this topic from the ACMI website:
"What makes an art material "safe"?
Knowledge of materials and their proper use makes them safe. Be sure to read the label on all products you use so you will know they have been evaluated and are non-toxic or need special handling to avoid possible health hazards from misuse. Look for the ACMI Seals so you will know the product has been evaluated by a qualified toxicologist for both acute and chronic hazards. Or, you may see other indications that the product conforms to ASTM D 4236, the chronic hazard labeling standard that is now part of the U.S. labeling law. Follow all safe use instructions. Purchase only products with the ACMI Non-Toxic Seals [CP, AP, and HL (Non-Toxic)] for young children, the physically or mentally handicapped, and any persons who cannot read or understand the safety labeling on product packages. Observe good work habits and teach them to others."
http://www.acminet.org/Safety.htm#four
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