VOCs

The Dark Side to Paint Products

How to Avoid Those Toxic Paint Fumes

Renovating or painting your home can be an exciting experience, but have you ever considered the dangers behind simply repainting your living room? Most paints contain Volatile Organic Compounds, also known as VOCs, which evaporate as the paint dries afterwards. VOCs are added to the paint or lacquer typically to act as solvents and can have serious impacts on human health. Oil-based paints are worse than water-based paints, but ordinary water based paints can still bel an issue.

Health implications for VOC exposure depend upon the type of compound, its concentration and your length of exposure to it, and can result in the following:

  • Nose, eye and throat irritation
  • Headaches
  • Loss of coordination
  • Nausea
  • Kidney and liver damage
  • Damage to the central nervous system
  • Immune system damage

Some VOCS are known carcinogens, meaning that inhaling them is likely to increase your risk of cancer.

Whilst there are a range of serious health conditions that can result from exposure to paints (being a painter is a UN recognised hazardous occupation known as ‘Painter’s Syndrome’) , there are several alternative products on the market which are low VOC and provide safe alternatives. For those who wish to further reduce the presence of VOCs and other toxins in paints you purchase refer to Ecospecifier (www.ecospecifier.com.au). Some examples of low VOC paints include:

 

Livos AustraliaLivios Australia

Livos offer a range of low VOC plant-based oils, coatings and treatments for interior and exterior wall, floor and timber applications. Unlike conventional coatings, LIVOS oils impregnate and protect the surface of timber, rather than creating a plastic coating on top. This allows for easy rejuvenation with no sanding required, the rejuvenation process is quick and simple to carry out if or when required.

Dduluxprofessionalulux Professional Enviro2

Dulux provides a low VOC topcoat paint making it a safer product for indoor use in your home. Whilst there is still VOCs present, they are at a very low concentration, <1g/L untinted. This product has been Ecospecifier verified and provides a detailed toxicity analysis on the Ecospecifier website.

 

 

The Dangers of Renovating an Old Home

renopainting

Renovating your home may come with potential health pitfalls, especially if your home was painted before 1970. Walls that were painted prior to this may be toxic due to the presence of lead-based paint. Lead paint, even in the smallest concentration, poses a great risk to human and animal health. While undisturbed well maintained lead painted walls pose minimal risk to human health; however once disturbed the paint scraped from lead painted walls becomes hazardous. This is especially so if flame or high temperature heat guns are used to remove it.

Resulting lead laden flakes and dust can spread throughout the house and garden. Removing the paint through dry sanding or by using power tools can create lead dust that can be inhaled or implanted into fabrics around the home, such as in carpets or furniture. Lead dust deposited around the family home poses future health risks and is extremely difficult to remove. This poses a great risk to young children who frequently put their hands inside their mouths and can absorb and retain higher concentrations of lead in comparison to adults. Lead is especially detrimental to the neurological development of children.

Lead is toxic in both low and high concentrations. Exposure can occur through inhalation or digestion. Effects of lead poisoning from low levels of concentration include:

  • Muscle pains and fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Coma
  • Fatigue
  • Stomach pains
  • Seizures
  • Anaemia
  • Miscarriage
Effects from high levels of lead poisoning may include:
  • Brain damage
  • Severe kidney damage
  • Reduced fertility in males
  • Cardiovascular issues
  • Cognitive damage in young children

If your home was, built before 1970, it is recommended that you arrange to conduct tests to confirm the presence or non-presence of lead so that the proper steps can be taken to minimise exposure if needed .

There are a couple of different ways to test for lead paint:

  • Colour change tests which are available from hardware stores although these are not 100% accurate
  • DIY-Sampling Lab Lead Analysis Kits which can be purchased online from http://www.leadsafeworld.com/solutions/lead-group-diy-sampling-lab-analysis-lead-test-kits/ this kit will provide instructions on how to conduct the test which is then analysed by a registered laboratory
  • Hire a professional who will use a portable X-ray fluorescence machine to determine the presence of lead. This is a non-invasive way to inspect the paint in your home.

If it is found that there is lead present in the paint on your walls it is recommended that:

  • Professionals are hired to safely remove the paint
  • If the paint is in good condition you are able to paint over it if you prefer not to remove it
  • If you choose to remove the paint yourself;
    • Seek professional advice on how to best remove the paint
    • Do not sandblast or dry scrape the walls
    • If removing paint outside do not do so on a wet or windy day
    • Remove children and pregnant women from the area
  • In the future choose paints that have been certified and verified for having low toxicity, such as those found listed with Ecospecifier (www.ecospecifier.com.au)

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using The Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global

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VOC’s in Carpet

Carpet is an almost omnipresent feature in many homes and while it has its benefits, many ordinary carpets also have some issues. Health and environmental concerns associated with many carpets include indoor air quality (IAQ), chemical emissions from manufacturing and disposal operations, short lifespan of broadloom carpets particularly in rental properties and solid waste impacts due to their difficulty in recycling and most ending up in landfill at the end of their lives.

As far as IAQ is concerned, a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be emitted from some carpet materials, typically in the backing. Remember that ‘new carpet smell’? That’s them! Although VOC emissions from new carpet seem to fall to low levels within a few weeks after installation when accompanied by good ventilation, this doesn’t mean they are gone, just that you can’t smell them, as they are emitted for quite long periods at progressively lower levels, that can nonetheless keep having an impact on your families health, particularly sensitive children..

Carpet can have a purifying impact on indoor air quality by absorbing and trapping particulates present in indoor air, but then you have to make sure they get removed completely when cleaned, because it can be difficult to get all particulates back out of carpet.

Tretford have a GreenTagCert™ LCARate Silver, GreenRate Level A Certified with low VOC, it is heavy contract cord carpet range with pile made predominantly from goat hair, which is a renewable, durable, low lanolin, inherently anti-static fibre. To achieve a Silver rating the product must not trigger any ‘Red light’ warnings A Silver award indicates a Very Good product in its market category.

Tips for installing new carpet:

  • Buy only carpets that have been certified low VOC by systems like Global GreenTag (all levels and tiers), Cetec, GreenGuard or GreenLabel;
  • The area should be ventilated with fresh air during installation with air-conditioning off to avoid recirculation of air.
  • Vacuum the floor after the old carpet and underlay have been removed
  • Where possible keep ventilating the space for a minimum of 72 hours after installation
  • If carpet adhesives are used, demand a low VOC water-based adhesive
  • If you are sensitive to VOC emissions, leave the premises during and immediately after carpet installation.

 

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: www.ecospecifier.com.au

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The Sick Building Syndrome

Are you breathing toxic air?

A “sick” building is a structure, or room, that has become contaminated with harmful elements or chemicals.

’Sick building syndrome’ (SBS) is a concept that refers to a variety of illnesses that occupants may develop due to exposure to in- building pollution.

Indoor pollution can cause serious health risks although can generally easily be avoided.

A building’s health may be decreased over either a short or prolonged period of time from a variety of causes including:

– External pollution

– Mould and mildew or,

– Product emissions.

Poorly selected finishes in products like fittings and furniture can release gaseous toxins over a period of time, resulting in a prolonged period where a building can be classified as “sick”.

Additionally, certain activities may result in the release of toxins that decrease the health of a building, such as cleaning with products are made with compounds containing volatile toxins.

Health impacts from exposure to a sick building may depend upon a person’s age and health or sensitivity to certain compounds, as well as the level of exposure to a potentially hazardous environment.

The commonly accepted short-term health issues associated to ‘sick building syndrome’ include:

  • Skin, eye and throat irritation
  • Headaches
  • Drowsiness
  • Allergic reactions and asthma

Common long-term health impacts related to the sick building syndrome concept include:

  • Cancer
  • Respiratory disease
  • Heart disease

SICK BUILDING CHECKLIST

A wide variety of factors can reduce the health of a building, below are just a few examples to consider as causes:

  • Biological contaminants such as bacteria, moulds, mildew and house dust mites can cause a range of health effects including hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma
  • Stoves, heaters, fireplaces and chimneys can all release carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, along with a range of other particles, which may impact your health by interfering with the delivery of oxygen throughout the body, irritating the mucous membranes in the eye, nose and throat or cause lung and tissue damage.
  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released from everyday household products, including carpets and paint, and have the potential to cause a range of health effects including irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, immune deficiency, asthma, headaches, liver and kidney damage and potentially cause cancer
  • Benzene may be present in household products including glues, adhesives, cleaning products and art supplies and may result in a range of health impacts ranging from skin and eye irritation to leukaemia
  • Formaldehyde a toxic chemical present in building materials, clothing and even cosmetics! The health effects of formaldehyde exposure range from nasal and eye irritation to liver and kidney damage
  • Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic products and can act as an endocrine disrupter posing significant health risks especially to the development of young children and babies.

HEALTHY BUILDING ACTION CHECKLIST

Whilst the potential health risks from building products and home fixtures can depend on a wide variety of personal and external factors, there are various steps that can be taken in order to improve the health of a building and reduce any associated health risks:

  • Choose products from a reliable source like the Ecospecifier website (ecospecifier.com.au) which only lists third party certified and verified products that have passed health and eco-toxicity assessments
  • Install weather stripping and caulking to seal the home – this can help to reduce the amount of pollution entering your home and reducing indoor air quality.
  • Prevent and manage issues related to the dampness of a building to avoid the presence of mould in order to decrease the risk of being exposed to hazardous microbes;
  • Eliminate smoking indoors.
  • Ensure adequate indoor ventilation.
  • Avoid products that contain formaldehyde or benzene.
  • Look for Low-VOC paints
  • Buy solid wood, hardboard or exterior grade plywood instead of pressed wood products;
  • Regulate room temperature and humidity to decrease the amount of VOCs emitted;
  • Choose plastic products that are BPA free.
  • Use only third party certified health-safe cleaning products.

Explore more about the product ranges that have been certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: http://www.ecospecifier.com.au

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Carpets Role In Allergies

Carpet is a common feature in many homes, is soft underfoot, provides acoustic benefits and keeps homes warm in cold climates. They are also but often perceived as associated with creating allergic reaction in sensitive individuals.

However, this perception is a result of not understanding how carpets interact with the environment and the people in the home.

For allergy and asthma sufferers, the critical issue is the amount of dust and allergens present in the air they breathe. This has less to do with the carpet itself and more about the difficulty in being able to fully maintain and keep carpets, because most people don’t or can’t keep them properly clean.

Modern carpet is overwhelmingly made from synthetic fibres, such as nylon, olefins, and polyester, which in turn are derived from petroleum. The fibres are attached to backing (made mainly of polypropylene) using synthetic rubber, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or ethylene vinyl acetate, and they are usually dyed using one or more of the thousands of synthetic dyes made from bituminous coal tars (aromatic hydrocarbons).

After installation, some carpets release noxious fumes in the form of volatile organic compounds or VOCs from adhesives and seam sealants used in the construction and installations of the carpet, or synthetic carpet underlay. They offer a perpetual easy harbour for many allergens. Even most traditional broadloom modern natural fibre carpets such as wool and alpaca still use this kind of construction type and therefore many suffer the same issues.

Even if you keep your house spotless, it is virtually guaranteed that some allergens will still make their way inside. Once those allergens (including; dust, pollen, dander, mould and other microorganisms) find their way in, air disperses them and gravity pulls most of them to the floor. There, they can become trapped in and around carpet fibres and backing interface. Carpet provides many benefits for many different people, including those with allergies.

So before you spend a lot of money taking out your home’s carpet, remember why you chose it in the first place.

Carpet provides softness under foot, acoustic isolation between floors and reduces transmission between rooms.

Carpet also keeps homes warm in cooler climates. Yet, in warmer climates where homes have concrete floors, it also isolates the living space from the cooling mass of the floor and sometimes more importantly, the earth beneath and so makes homes in these climates, hotter.

To find low VOC and easy care carpets, a reliable, first place to visit is the Ecospecifier website, which is an extensive, free database and a rich knowledge base to locate floor coverings that meet stringent environmental standards and the requirements for your home.

GreenTagCertTM GreenRate Level A Certified flooring by The Andrews Group, for example, is a tightly woven resilient floor carpet alternative providing a product with easy maintenance, especially in terms of dirt and dust removal.

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Explore more about floor coverings and the product ranges that have been certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: www.ecospecifier.com.au

Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

Follow Ecospecifier on Facebook
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Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

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