Why use voc-free paint?

All paints contain three main components: pigment (colour), a binder (holds the paint together) and a carrier (disperses the binder). With many modern paints these ingredients are made using toxic chemicals that are harmful to both the environment and human health. Cadmium, lead and chromium are frequently used in pigments; and petrochemicals, solvents, benzene, formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are used in binders and carriers. Toxic, environmentally harmful, chemicals are also used in modern paints as preservatives, stabilisers, thickeners and driers. VOCs are organic (carbon based) chemical compounds that evaporate easily in the atmosphere, and are known to be a major contributor to global climate change.

Many of them are highly toxic and linked with numerous health problems such as respiratory disease, asthma, dizziness, headaches, nausea, fatigue, skin disorders, eye irritation, liver and kidney damage and even cancer. Modern chemical paints continue to emit VOCs many years after their
application. Increasing concerns about the impact of chemical paints on health and the environment have led to a growing market in non-toxic paints. Environmental regulations have forced conventional paint companies to significantly reduce their VOC content, and most of the
large paint companies now offer one or more varieties of non-toxic paints. However, many of these still contain VOC solvents, chemical pigments and fungicides.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency conducted a series of studies called the Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM), and found the levels of at least 12 commonly used VOC’s to be two to five times higher in homes than outside.? This was the case regardless of whether a home was located in a rural or industrial area.

Switching to VOC-free paints is one way that you can help to make a difference for the environment, and for your own personal health. Once you start to use VOC-free paints instead of the more traditional brands, you should immediately notice how much better the VOC-free paints are. Not only are they odor-free, they are durable and leave easy to clean surfaces. In fact, public demand for VOC-free paints has been on the rise over the past several years; so
much so until most major manufacturers now sell at least one type of VOC-free paints along with their “regular” paints.

REFERENCES
1. Organic compounds (VOC’s). Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

2. The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality. Environmental Protection
Agency. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html.