Don’t Risk Your Health With That New Coat Of Paint

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This week as promised, I look at how VOCs and the air quality around us and what measures to take to make your next paint job safe for your health.

It’s all around us

A 2004 survey of people living in newly built homes, found a significant link between the amount of VOCs indoors and throat and respiratory symptoms even at relatively low VOC levels.

It’s now been confirmed that VOC levels, on average, are two to five times higher indoors than outdoors and that the increasing air-tightness of newer housing is making the problem worse. Recent painting significantly increases household VOC levels and is linked to asthma and other respiratory allergies, especially amongst children.

The Californian Environmental Protection Agency in the US pointed out that children are more susceptible to VOCs because they are still developing. Children also breathe at higher rates than adults, resulting in them having higher relative doses of pollutants than adults, when compared to exposure to the same air concentrations.

VOCs also negatively affect the environment. On ground level VOCs react with oxygen and sunlight and form a chemical smog – most evident in highly populated urban areas. Although the main culprits in cities are industrial gasses and exhaust fumes, paint certainly contributes to an extent. According to the 2000 European report from Technology for Vehicle Refinishes, up to 5 per cent of environmental VOCs are from paint and varnishes.

The worst impact these VOCs have are on the earth’s atmosphere. According to the European Science Foundation, not only do these chemicals contribute to the greenhouse effect but they also damage the earth’s protective ozone layer.

What about lead?

Modern household paints don’t contain lead, but especially in Europe, older housing is still decorated with paint containing lead.

Lead paintwork can pose as a problem when it’s chipped or scratched as it can release harmful lead dust in to your home. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to seal the old paint work with an overcoat of lead-free non-toxic paint. But if the paint’s in a bad condition it is best to remove it all together. Use methods that don’t create dust or fumes, such as solvent-free, water-based paint removers.

How do you know if your home may contain lead paint? Well, according to the Department of Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), if your house was built before the 1960’s and still has surfaces with original coats of paint there is a chance for lead being around.

Precautions and alternatives

EU regulations have set maximum limits for these chemicals in paints and varnishes. However even the more stringent limits which is due to come in to force in 2010, will still permit a certain degree of VOCs in household paints. The best you are likely to get are paints labelled ‘low-VOC’ or ‘low-odour’, which can still contain significant amounts of VOCs. There is also the risk that by reducing the VOCs in paint, manufacturers may be replacing them with other harmful toxins. As always it looks as if government legislation and regulation is a mere drop in the bucket of pollutants...

Luckily there are other options. Non-toxic paints are often called Low-VOC, No-VOC, VOC-Free, odourless, odour-free and green, natural or organic paints. There are no set standards for defining these labels, and they are widely misused for marketing purposes. To help consumers make informed decisions on their paint purchases, various ecological labels have been developed by different countries to indicate that the paint has fulfilled certain environmental requirements, in accordance with respective government regulations. These eco-labels can be found as logos on paint cans, and include the European Eco-Label. In the UK, VOC labels are used, and indicate the content of VOCs using one of five classifications: Minimal (0-0.29%), Low, Medium, High and Very High (VOC content greater than 50%).

Low-VOC paints tend to use water as a carrier instead of petrochemical solvents, and so their emissions are minimal. Many conventional paints have achieved relatively low VOC levels. No-VOC or VOC-Free paints may still contain very low levels of VOCs in their pigments or additives. Although reducing VOC content is a move in the right direction, it is questionable whether either of these paint types can be considered non-toxic.

Natural Paints

Natural paints are the only true non-toxic paint since they contain no VOCs, and are made from natural ingredients such as water, vegetable oils, plant dyes, and natural minerals. The main binders used in natural paints are: linseed oil (from flax seeds), clay, lime, and milk protein. Lime and milk paints give an authentic period look, and are often used in antique restoration projects. Chalk is used as an extender to thicken paint; turpentine (distilled from pine trees) is used as a solvent; essential oils from citrus fruits (d-limonene) are used as a solvent and fragrance; and natural mineral and earth pigments are used as colorants.

The main benefits of natural paints are:

· Non-toxic - no hazardous fumes or harmful effects on health.

· Environmentally Friendly - use renewable resources and are biodegradable and can even be composted.

· Micro-Porous - allow walls and surfaces to breathe, preventing condensation and damp problems, and reducing associated indoor allergens.

Take a look at the following websites of manufacterers and suppliers of natural paints:
Auro : www.auro.co.uk

Ecos: www.ecospaints.co.uk

Earthborn Natural paints: www.earthbornpaints.co.uk

Green Shop: www.greenshop.co.uk

Paint safely

The next time you plan a DIY paint-weekend here’s a few handy tips that could help you to protect your health:

- Schedule your DIY for dry periods during the summer. This will allow you leave windows and doors open for ventilation. We recommend that you ventilate a newly painted room for at least 2-3 days before inhabit it.

- Never use exterior paints indoors

- Take frequent fresh-air breaks while painting. Break at least every 45 minutes for about 20 minutes and leave the room that you are painting.

- Watch out for other symptoms such as watery eyes, headaches, dizziness and breathing problems.

‘Environmentally Friendly, Non Toxic Paint’ published online, sustainablebuild.co.uk