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PREGNANCY SAFE PAINT: Are No VOC Paints Truly Safe?

March 14, 2009


ARE YOU CURIOUS AS TO HOW HOUSEHOLD PAINT MAY AFFECT YOUR PREGNANCY?  FIND OUT MORE AND LEARN ABOUT SAFE OPTIONS.  Read more here…

V.O.C’s IN THE HOME AND YOUR HEALTH:
A highly toxic chemical found most notably in nail polish, nail polish remover, household products (cleaning and disinfecting), paints (varnishes), fuels and pesticides (to name a few) are V.O.C’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).  The EPA states that V.O.C’s are: “suspected of causing, or are known to cause cancer in humans.”

LOOKING FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF TRULY SAFE PAINTS?  Click HERE.

 Click Here to see a more complete list of products containing V.O.C’s, as well as the EPA’s statementsabout V.O.C’s. 

V.O.C’s can have short and long term adverse effects on health.  Some are as mild as headache, dizziness, nausea etc. all the way as sever as asthma and cancer. 
Not surprisingly, the EPA states that pollutants can be 2-5 times higher indoors vs. outdoors because of the number of household items that give off pollutants such as V.O.C’s.
So remember to air out the house by opening the doors and windows whenever possible.  Look for “green services” such as natural cleaning and home care services like carpet cleaning. 

NO/LOW V.O.C. PAINTS

Like most new parents you may want to paint the nursery a fresh shade of pink, or blue (or yellow, green or white) and traditional paints contain high amounts of V.O.C’s that are neither healthy for you, or your growing baby.  Thanks to Andrew Pace founder of “Safe Building Solutions”, he has provided us some insight from his website “www.degreeofgreen.com” regarding how to avoid ”Greenwashing” by picking a paint that is truly eco-friendly and safe for you, your children, family and growing baby:

Article appeared in the April 2005 issue of Environmental Design & Construction magazine.
 
  

© 2005 Andrew Pace – andy@safebuildingsolutions.com       We all know how difficult it is to decide on a color scheme for a small renovation project
or a new house, but unfortunately, most of us don’t have a real grasp of the magnitude of
the task. Nowadays, you can’t flip through the cable channels without running into at
least two dozen programs that show you how to do it yourself. But come on, who really
wants to make those decisions?
And if choosing colors seems like such a monumental task, choosing the brand or type of
paint must require a college degree of some sort, right? What if you’re interested in an
environmentally friendly choice? Now we’re talking nuclear physics!
Actually, choosing the type or brand of environmentally friendly paint is much easier
than you think. When choosing the paint for any size project, I tell my clients that they
need to make a couple of simple decisions.
 
1) What do you want this paint to achieve from a design factor?
2) What are your “environmental goals”?
 
Let’s take the second question first. There are two types of “green” paint.
First, there’s what’s called a low, or zero VOC paint, which is considered environmentally friendly on
an outdoor level.
Then, there’s paint that is environment-friendly, meaning healthier for
the indoor occupants. Low/zero VOC paint is quite common throughout the industry
now, but has sparked a great deal of discussion about its level of “green.” Although these
paints have little or none of the regulated VOC’s than could potentially create smog, they
are not particularly well suited to those who suffer from chemical sensitivities, or
therefore, any humans in general. These products still contain countless toxins and
carcinogens such as acetone, ammonia, crystalline silica and formaldehyde precursors.
We all know that formaldehyde was taken out of paint years ago. However,
manufacturers have decided to use formaldehyde precursors to allow the paint to develop
formaldehyde during the curing process, thus creating a paint that is formaldehyde free in
the can.
Tricky, yes, but still legal.
 
An indoor environment-friendly and healthy paint is one which is manufactured with out
the use of any regulated or unregulated health hazards or toxins, formaldehyde precursors
and is formulated to not outgas. Most paints outgas for several years, but the healthier
ones will not. These paints are typically tolerable for about 98% of the most chemically
sensitive individuals who use it. If these canaries in the mineshaft can live with it, it must
be better for everyone.
 
The first question is a bit easier to answer—what colors do you want? This is where I
usually enlist a professional designer and leave it to the experts. You must remember,
though, that most of the zero VOC paints are tinted with colorants that contain VOC’s so
your colors choices are limited to the pastels and light colors.
Healthy paints such as AFM Safecoat (paint, which) can be tinted to thousands of colors from light to dark, without added
VOC’s or toxins.
The interior designer’s love that!       So there you have it. A crash course of what to look for the next time you are interested
in pursuing an ”Environmental Home Makeover”.   

On behalf of all of us parents out there looking for the safest alternatives for our families a HUGE thanks to Andrew Pace for providing this information.   Again, check out his site:  www.degreeofgreen.com, or contact him at andy@safebuildingsolutions.com.

For more SAFE INDOOR PAINT options READ MORE HERE. 
Learn more about:
*  AFM Safecoat Paint
*  American Pride Paint
*  Bioshield Paint
*  Mythic Paint
*  Yolo Colorhouse Paint 

 

 

 

 

Written by Molly · Filed Under Safe Paint 

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