Healthier painting

Painting is one of the most basic ways to completely alter a space with a new look or feel and to express the inhabitant’s personality and aesthetic preferences. An unfortunate side effect of this common renovation however, is the off-gassing associated with conventional paints.

Most paints contain high levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, carbon-based chemicals that tend to exist in gaseous form. The potent and easily recognizable new paint smell is actually volatile organic compounds like benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene. High levels of VOCs are linked to poor health outcomes like respiratory problems, headaches, dizziness, asthma in children and even cancers through long-term exposure.

The good news in this new “green” world, is that more and more alternatives exist for minimizing exposure to paint-related VOCs, and many large manufacturers of paint are responding to consumer health concerns by creating zero or low-VOC paints.

The label on the paint can will indicate if a paint has zero, no, or low-VOC levels, but buyer beware, as some are more effective, and some have less VOC content than others. Low VOC includes a range of VOC content, meaning some lows are lower than others! Check the label to ensure VOCs are less than 160 grams per liter.

A few guidelines to buying healthier paint.
Of the conventional paints, latex or water-based paints have lower VOCs than oil-based paints. Flat finish paints generally contain less VOCs than those with glossy finishes, and white or pale paints have less than bright or dark paints. Also, a low-VOC base does not correspond directly to a low-VOC tint, so be sure to check on the levels of your coloring as well.

There are also paints that contain absolutely no man-made chemicals, using natural ingredients like minerals, plant pigments, plant-based or citrus oils, lime and chalk. Being chemical-free, these paints offer the lowest health risk and the best choice for the environment. Those with extreme sensitivities may still experience eye or lung irritation from the VOCs emitted from ingredients like citrus oils.

The most benign paint available is milk paint, made from milk protein, and it contains no VOCs of any variety -- though it cannot be used in areas with potential dampness, like bathrooms, and may need frequent applications.

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