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When making art, do not be naive about using unique or experimental materials and be aware of their permanence.  Educate yourself by speaking with experts who know the long-term properties of unconventional materials you may be using.  These people may be chemists, physicists, doctors, professors, engineers, etc. Explain what you are using, how it is being used and get their opinion.  Common problems are longevity, deterioration, chemical changes or color shifts.  These changes can be strategically incorporated into the artwork with pleasing results, but you should be aware of the materials’ physical properties.
 
There are numerous online resources that provide technical data on materials.  It is worth your while to look them up in order to save yourself from health problems, and to understand how these materials stand up over time.  Many artists have died from overexposure to hazards, many because they did not know their own materials.
 
Always be aware of the ramifications of using ‘experimental’ materials, including how they may affect a dealer, collector, an art audience or a gallery.  Be forthcoming to potential clients about what you know about the chemistry of your materials.  No one wants to buy something that they expect to last a lifetime and have it fall apart or change substantially over a decade or two.
 
Many artists forget the impact of experimental materials on their viewers.  Using things that mold or decompose in the gallery can lead to serious health problems for gallery workers and viewers who have allergies.  Not all galleries are knowledgeable about all materials, so it is your responsibility as an artist to keep them informed.  At one gallery a work on display was full of grass that made viewers with allergies very sick and another work produced about 100,000 flies.  When the curator opened the door to the gallery, it reeked of flies and maggots.  You do NOT want to get sued for someone getting hurt.
 
When in doubt, research!