The smell of paint commonly give away the fact that you ’re likely breathing in something that ’s bad for your health . But did you acknowledge just how right your nasal signals are ?
Lead paint , which was banned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1977 , is not the only type of paint that ’s spoiled for your wellness . ( You might remember hearing in the news that kid who ate break off - off lead paint developed mental disabilities . )
In fact , unless you make a witting endeavor to select rouge with your family ’s health and the environment in mind , you ’ll find that most of today ’s paint contains many chemical – known as volatile constituent compounds – that can negatively affect your wellness .
So just what precisely is a explosive organic chemical compound ? VOCs , as they ’re commonly called , are chemical substance inside blusher that are released into the air as you paint a wall .
Although the absolute majority of VOCs leave the paint as the bulwark dries , not all of them do . In fact , paint can resign VOCs into the air for years conform to the initial painting , cast your family at risk .
VOCs are grievous for a span of reason . First , many VOCs are knowncarcinogens . A typical bucket of blusher contains chemicals , such as benzene , methylene radical chloride and others , that have been linked to Cancer the Crab [ source : United States Environmental Protection Agency ] .
VOCs are also the components of rouge that cause you to develop a headache after house painting . In accession , the VOC - rich air in your home over the following years can put you or a family member at a higher risk of developing asthma or allergies [ source : Choi et al ] .
So why are there VOCs in blusher at all if they ’re so unhealthy , and are there other option ? Read on to learn more .
The Function of VOCs and Alternative Options
VOCs perform a necessary function of key , which is to solidify it . When you spread a brush loaded with paint across a rampart , the VOCs that are released are the stuff of drying up – the chemical substance that make a wet bulwark become teetotal .
That said , you do n’t absolutely call for to have VOCs in your paint . Today , because of an increasing awareness about the known wellness hazards of VOCs , pigment manufacturer are beginning to offer more low- and no - VOC rouge .
No - VOC rouge , as regulated by theEnvironmental Protection Agency , will have five or few grams of VOCs per cubic decimeter of blusher . ( This is only for rubber-base paint pigment , a common type used in household house painting . )
Paint with less than 250 grams of VOCs per liter is believe low - VOC paint [ source : Midwest Eco - Design ] . Like many healthy alternative , no- and dispirited - VOC paint usually costs more ( about 20 to 80 pct more ) than regular paint .
Because of this , some people try whipping up recipes of homemade paint , sometimes using chalk or animal products . Generally , homemade paints come with string section attach that make using them a bother . For example , you have to consider such things as how humid the room can get , how many layers you ’ll ask , what ingredient are necessary for the Book of Job to twist out right and how long the paint will last . Even so , some companies specialize in make up all - natural paint . For a list of some of these caller , clickhere .
If you ’re looking for the healthy alternative to standard key , sticking to no- and low - VOC choice is a good idea . If a room wo n’t be occupied the majority of the time , like a garage or store room , prefer for even paint might be an easier , more toll - witting choice .
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