Allie
Green Paint
As an employee at a Boston moving company, the relocation process is always on my mind. Here is a topic I found to be significant to the moving business.. paint. During the process of moving into a new home, most likely there will be some wall painting involved. Paint plays a significant role inside your home, more important than you may realize. Read the information below to find out how you can protect you and your family from dangerous toxic chemicals. In an effort to reduce the stress of those who are reading this and relocating to a new home, I did some of the research for you.
So here’s the deal: Traditional household paints contain a harmful compound called volatile organic compounds or “VOC’s”. Purchasing an eco-friendly, no or low-VOC is pertinent to avoid the harmful ingredients that can pollute the air inside your home. For a paint to be labeled as a low-VOC paint, it must contain less than 250 grams per liter.
And here is why you should avoid VOC’s: Volatile organic compounds are airborne chemicals that are released during the painting process and also when it is removed. Even after the paint dries, VOC’s will emit harmful fumes for years into the air. These potentially carcinogenic carbon-based chemicals evaporate and pollute the air you breathe everyday in your home. VOC’s consist of harmful ingredients including formaldehyde, benzene, pesticides, and ammonia. If you notice your paint having that familiar “bad paint smell” it is probably filled with toxic VOC’s. This is because the more VOC’s a paint contains, the stronger the odor. So don’t use it! Exposure to VOC’s can cause unwanted symptoms such as irritation of the skin, nose, and eyes. They can also cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, respiratory problems, increase symptoms of asthma, and nerve damage. In some cases VOC’s can lead to kidney or liver disease. They also harm our environment by contributing to the formation of smog and ground level ozone. Purchasing an eco-friendly paint is not only good for the health of you and your family, but also the environment! It is a win-win situation!
Here are some tips to keep in mind while searching for paint:
If you are looking for a synthetic paint, water-based latex paints are a good paint to consider. They have a lower level of VOC’s. Water-based latex paints are usually free of formaldehyde. Avoid oil-based paints; they contain a much higher level of VOC’s.
Milk paints contain no solvents, preservatives, or biocides. Some do have synthetic ingredients, which make them more suitable for rooms where there may be moisture in the air. They are odorless and are made by combining milk protein, casein, and lime.
Natural paints are an excellent example of a non-synthetic paint. They are usually made from plants, milk, soy oils, minerals, chalk, lime, and clay and other natural ingredients. They are free of preservatives and biocides. I do not recommend these for a bathroom or a room where moisture is present in the air, because they are less resistant to mildew and molds.
As the green trend continues to increase the prices for green products are decreasing, so they will not empty your wallet. Some familiar brands have developed no or lo-VOC paint lines including Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, True Value, and Home Depot. Both Yolo Colorhouse and Mythic Paint can color match any Benjamin Moore paint swab with their no or low VOC paint.
To get a full list of no or low VOC paints, check out Green Seal. They are a nonprofit organization that certifies products as eco-friendly. Greenseal.org
Relax. And Get Moving.
February 23, 2010 @ 10:48 pm
rich Said,
VOC’s from paints disappear rapidly. The real issue is VOC’s from building materials. Many of these same people that will paint as a result of a move will do some home improvements, maybe a closet organizer, laminate flooring, more molding, fiberglass insulation, furniture etc. This is where the real issues are.
Formaldehyde in conventionally built residential homes has become a serious health issue over the past decade. The California Air Resources Board’s report published December 15, 2009 states:
“Nearly all homes (98%) had formaldehyde concentrations that exceeded guidelines for cancer and chronic irritation, while 59 percent exceeded guidelines for acute irritation.”
The executive summary: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/apr/past/04-310exec_sum.pdf
The full report: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/apr/past/04-310.pdf
The principal researcher’s power point presentation:
http://iee-sf.com/resources/pdf/ResidentialVentilation.pdf
The only media coverage was published the day before Christmas and it would seem nobody read it:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2009/12/two-of-three-california-homes-had-excessive-formaldehyde-levels/1
The introduction of fiberglass wall insulation, double pane windows, and/or vapor barriers such as Tyvek for energy conservation combine with laminate floors, MDF doors & trim, plywood and particle board for improved resource utilization in either original construction or added during subsequent ‘upgrades’ contributes significantly to the problem. Combine these practices and you have the perfect storm. This is what we have been doing over the past decade.
Synergist is a peer reviewed journal the cover article from February 2010 covers the poor quality of residential indoor air of Silicon Valley homes will be discussed. This will included data showing that Green Point Rated homes have even higher formaldehyde concentrations and exceed the formaldehyde concentration found in the typical but infamous FEMA trailers. The FEMA trailers have clearly demonstrated the negative health impacts of formaldehyde.
Currently, ‘green’ is good for the environment but not necessarily for the occupants. Many municipalities have adapted “green” building ordinances that essentially require a builder to build homes that are guaranteed to negatively impact the health of the occupants. Yet people still wonder why the occurrence of health complications linked to formaldehyde have been increasing rapidly. Nearly everyone agrees the cause has to be environmental, yet they refuse to look at residential homes as that environment exposure.
This isn’t exclusively a California issue. Instead it is nationwide and worldwide issue. High levels of formaldehyde were found in the drywall study including the control houses built using USA drywall. Other countries are also having issues like Canada and Australia.
Following the Sierra Club’s procedure used to discover the FEMA trailers costs only $39 including the lab analysis. The Sierra Club used a passive ACS badge for formaldehyde. The test procedure is simple enough that anyone can perform the testing.
About the only warning the California real estate industry provides the consumer is in the California Association of REALTORS new home purchase contract:
“Given the cost of testing, it is not feasible to test every home to ascertain the level of formaldehyde present.”
This inaccurate disclosure is missing from the standard purchase agreement used for resale homes, even though formaldehyde in the new homes will off gas for decades. A 1963 home was recently measured at 93 ppb from the original underlayment. How CAR thinks a new home needs a disclosure, while a 5-year home doesn’t is beyond comprehension. To claim $39, which is less than the cost of one doctor visit, makes testing not feasible is absurd as it is truly an insignificant cost.
When it comes to formaldehyde agents often make incorrect statements like “code takes care of that” “it isn’t a problem in newer homes” “the builder didn’t use any formaldehyde” etc. The home inspectors’ trade associations specifically prevent their inspectors from testing environmental issues. The consumer is left to defend for themselves without the required knowledge.
Even tenants have more protection. Apartment buildings have Prop 65 warning labels but identical condo don’t. The California Apartment Association has a tri-fold flyer warning for tenants, the REALTORS Association has nothing. The State has some blame as their formaldehyde section is buried in the environmental hazard booklet and hasn’t been updated in years and is now significantly out dated. Most consumers are presented a photocopied receipt to sign without being provided the booklet.
Once educated, consumers might demand healthier as well as greener homes. Currently, everything is green, green and more green. Some (including Build It Green the originators of Green Point Rated homes) even incorrectly equate green as healthy when in reality the exact opposite is truth as of today.