Planning a new paint job? Then make sure you have the safety facts before you buy. The paints you choose for that exciting make-over can affect your family’s health for many years, long after the painter has finished the job.
Solvents are the key to deciding whether a paint is safe for interior use. Solvents are the liquids in a paint and it is the composition of a paint’s solvents that determines the level of volatile organic compounds or VOCs given off. These compounds evaporate at ambient temperatures and as soon as a paint can is opened VOCs are given off in the form of gas that may or may not have an aroma.
Some paints contain poisonous VOCs and are definitely not good for our health and should not be used for interior painting. The build-up of VOCs in indoor environments has been dubbed the ‘sick building syndrome’.
Oil-based paints use petrochemicals as the solvent. They have been used in our homes, workspaces, shopping centres, child-care facilities and schools for many years, although, now they’re used mainly for wet areas like bathrooms and interior woodwork.
If you’ve ever experienced the anticipated fun of re-decorating your home turn to a sick feeling, headache and a need to open the windows and evacuate the area, you have experienced the poisonous effects of VOC inhalation. These early symptoms are just the tip of the iceberg. Prolonged exposure can develop into liver, kidney and central nervous system damage and even cancer.
A better product for internal paint work is acrylic or water-based paint. So called because instead of a petrochemical solvent, water is used as the carrier. These paints smell less than the oil-based paints, but don’t be deceived. Even though advertised as ‘low VOC’, they contain a cocktail of other toxic ingredients that also out-gas.
According to Dieter Groening of Bio Products Australia , “there are a range of chemicals added to paint that act as fungicides and preservatives. And at least 20 compounds found in paint have been found to be potentially damaging. One well known one is formaldehyde – the chemical used in embalming human and animal remains.”
Formaldehyde has been discontinued by most paint manufacturers as a fungicide, but the chemicals used instead of formaldehyde change during the curing process, creating a paint that is formaldehyde free in the can but not in its effect on the health of our homes.
The VOCs come to the surface and out-gas when the rooms are heated. We can’t see the gases and may not smell them because they are in low doses, but according to Groening, the gases are found in our homes for up to seven years after a paint job.
Natural paints are an alternative to acrylic paints and less damaging to our family’s health because they don’t contain toxic VOCs. Michael Watson, a South Australian architect with three children, says he chose to use these paints on his home because “they smell better, they are more pleasant to use and they are safer because they don’t exude vapours.”
These paints use water, citrus and other aromatic plant oils like pine, as solvents and the smell is quite pleasant. They dry by absorbing oxygen from the air and as a result they take longer to dry, but they aren’t out-gassing harmful toxins in the drying process. The gasses emitted are of no concern to our long-term health, but may cause temporary symptoms such as watery eyes, headaches or skin irritation.
Manufacturers of plant-based paints say they can be returned to the natural cycle – brushes washed out in the garden – without threat to the environment. Many ingredients in these paints are either foods or authorised to be used as food additives, such as plant oils like linseed, soya bean, sunflower, safflower, orange and lemon oils.
The plant oils means let a surface breathe which means the building self regulates its moisture content, organically preventing mould growth.
Plant-based paints are thicker due to their higher ratio of binder to pigment, making them more expensive than acrylic paints. But they have better coverage and the higher the solid percentage, the lower the paint’s volatile substances that may outgas. Choice magazine recently tested the hiding power of various interior paints and found, a product called BIO Wall Paint came out on top.
Milk and lime-based paints are gentle on both our health and the environment and they have no VOCs or harmful ingredients. If the antique or rustic look is required, these paints are perfect for the job. They are manufactured from milk protein, lime, clay, minerals and earth pigments. The lime plaster paints create a ‘wash’ look. Layering the paint can create different variations and textures, and sheen can be achieved with a sealer.
Milk and lime based paints are odourless. They are best applied to plaster, cement or stucco walls but are not so effective on wood. These paints contain no chemical preservatives or fungicides so they can be safely used on children’s furniture and toys. The disadvantage is that they fade and may peel, requiring regular re-application.
Armed with information about safety, coverage and cost, we can make an informed decision about the type of paint we will use to transform our home and care for our family’s health.
Source:
Dept of the Environment and Heritage website. Total Volatile Organic Compounds fact sheet. www.npi.gov.au
Groening, D The hazards of housepaint in Soft Technology 55
CHOICE (December 2004), Slap It On, p. 29-30
Standon, D.& Prince, R., Paint Products Manufactured for Interior Spaces in Sustainable Development Architechture, Building and Culture.
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