Why use healthy paint?
Conventional paint has hundreds of potentially dangerous chemicals many that have yet to be tested for hazardous side effects. A few known harmful chemicals include diisocyanate (TDI), formaldehyde and Methyl ethyl ketone, all of which can cause health complications. The solvent used in traditional paint is the main contributor to high VOC levels.
Health Effects of Traditional Paint
In addition to skin inflammation, TDI can cause irritation to the mucous membranes of the eyes, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. Respiratory irritation can progress to chemical bronchitis with severe asthma and has led to death in severe cases. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has classified TDI as a potential occupational carcinogen.
Another common chemical in conventional paint is formaldehyde which can also cause health complications. For instance, many studies have linked formaldehyde in paint to childhood leukemia. Mothers who use paint during pregnancy were three-times as likely to have a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Formaldehyde has also been linked to cancer in adults and can cause skin and eye irritations, bronchitis, and problems in the central nervous system.
Due to the low boiling points of the VOCs previously mentioned, the chemicals in conventional paint evaporate off the walls and other painted surfaces into the surrounding area in a process known as off gassing. Painting with conventional paints is extremely hazardous to health as studies reveal that painters are at a higher risk for cancer of the bladder, lungs, pancreas, liver and stomach because of their exposure to toxic chemicals in paint. However, living in an environment with conventional paint is hazardous to health as well because the VOCS in paint can off gas for years thereby emitting hazardous chemicals into your air at home.
Healthier Options
The good news is that every paint we carry contains the lowest levels of VOCs to ensure that you and your family are not exposed to such high levels of toxins. Most Low-VOC paints use water as a substitute for the solvent in traditional paint. However, this often affects the quality of the product. Our products are different as they are formulated and developed from the start to be as low VOC as possible while still performing well.
While traditional paints use petrochemical latex and vinyl as a binder Low-VOC paints use acrylics. Similarly, traditional paints use mineral turpentine as a solvent while low-VOC paints use water or plant oils. Therefore low VOC products have nearly 90% fewer VOCs than traditional products. When added together, a home using conventional paint could contain 244 lbs of VOCs at the height of its off gassing where as the same home built using materials with the lowest VOC content on the market would only introduce 12 lbs into the home indicating the dramatic effects of conventional paint.
