Making good paint choices: VOCs, your family and your environment
Painting Quotes
from local painters
Volatile organic compounds (or VOCs for short) are chemical compounds found in many paints. And it's estimated that 80 000 tonnes of VOCs are released into into Australia's atmosphere annually. These VOCs are captured into the paint in liquid form but they'd rather be in a gas state - so they're volatile!
VOC's include chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene and acetone - used for preserving dead flesh, burning and removing nail varnish respectively. If your paint has VOCS in it, the VOCs are released while you're decorating and ALSO up to five years after you've painted. This ensures the air inside your home is now considered to be more polluted than the air outside.
According to the WHO, painters are 40% more likely to contract lung cancer, and allergic sensitisation and asthma can be linked with VOCs.
Eco paints (plant and mineral based paints) are a growing niche market and most big manufacturers do sell low VOC paints. These alternatives had a reputation for being unreliable but eco paints and low VOC paints have come a long way. But, if the removal of the VOCs simply means you have to paint more regularly, you might end up with the same effect at the end of the day.
5 tips for environmental painting:
- Minimise the type of materials that need painting. Alternatives like plywood can be oiled rather than painted, and consider tiles or bricks forth inside and outside.
- If you're worried about the environment or health risks associated with higher VOC levels, then eco-paint might be exactly what you're after when you next redecorate. But make sure to investigate properly to avoid the trap of simply painting more often!
- When you're painting, don't wash your water based paint brushes in the sink allowing the paint water to go down the drain. Rather use a bucket and pour the dirty water into the garden (preferably not too often or on your prize orchids!)
- Again, when painting with oil-based paints and stains (often have higher VOC levels than acrylics) you'll need turps to clean brushes etc - which should also not go down the drain.
- Old tins of paint can be taken to any WSN environmental solutions transfer stations. Paint 'infected' water or turps should also be disposed of like old tins of paint.
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Painting Quotes
from local painters
