Indoor air is typically more polluted than outdoor air; paints and finishes being one of the leading causes. Regular paint contains VOC, Volatile Organic Compound. What is VOC? VOC are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressure under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere, and are harmful and toxic. VOC is what your nose detects when you're painting a room.
I love to change the look and feel of my own, and when first venturing on being green I was disappointed to discover the harmful affects of paint. When I first heard of non-VOC paint, I knew I wanted some. The problem at the time....cost! The first time I saw Non-VOC paint at Home Depot it cost approximately $38/gallon. Compared to $19 for a regular gallon of paint, and a thin budget I had to put the decorating bug to bed.
Recently, as more people are becoming earth conscious the prices are dropping considerably. More companies are coming out with one or more Non-VOC or Low-VOC varieties of paint. Don't think that just cause its green that your color choices are limited. New styles are emerging each year, and I was finally able to bring out the paint rollers.
I purchased Olympic Non-VOC paint at Lowes for only $20. They had a vast choice of color and I was pleased with the outcome. For the first time I was able to paint without getting a headache, no mask needed, and didn't care if the windows were open or closed.
So get creative, get painting, and get a good night sleep without breathing in toxic fumes.
Posts
How long do VOC fumes stay active after painting? Is it like a long term thing?
ReplyDeleteGreen Seal's April 2006 "Proposed Environmental Standard and Environmental Evaluation of Recycled Content Latex Paint" states the following related to the continued release of VOC's from latex paints:
ReplyDelete"Although many of the toxic materials found in paints have been reduced in recent years due to legislation, especially among latex paints, some may still be released as the paint dries and the compounds volatilize, while others continue to be released into the ambient environment after the paint dries when there is no detectable odor...Paint emissions can continue for extended periods of time after application and Sparks et al. (1999) estimated that less than 50% of the VOC's in latex paint (applied to a surface) are emitted in the first year. Compounds studied include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, Texanol®, and butoxyethanol."
http://www.greenseal.org/certification/rcp_call_for_comments_04-14-06.pdf
I will expand on VOCs in another entry. :)