(US Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organisation, and the Wannabee Foundation).
There are many reports based on thorough research that lead the Natural Painting People to believe that the use of conventional paints should be phased out, and that for the sake of our health and the environment we should use paints based on ingredients that are not harmful.
The majority of well-known paint brands contain high levels of solvents that contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). It is these VOC's that are most harmful, and conventional paint can continue to give off toxic fumes for up to five years after application (1). Some studies have linked the chemicals found in paint to be harmful to unborn babies. In one piece of research, women whose partners were exposed to oil based paints for just four hours a week over six months were over three times more likely to miscarry compared to a control group (2). Professional Painters and Decorators can be exposed to oil based paints for many hours per week and can suffer from irreversible forms of dermatitis, asthma, and emphysema (1).
Health problems can arise from even short-term exposure to conventional paints including eye and respiratory tract infection, headaches, and dizziness (3). People who suffer from ailments such as Asthma, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, M.E (myalgic encephalomyelitis), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, or a myriad of other sensitivities and allergies can be affected by even small amounts of chemicals in conventional paints including formaldehyde (used as a preservative) and coalescent glycols (used as chemical solvents) (4). Our preferred paints tend to be 100% VOC free and some can even be composted. Some well-known brands of paint available in Australia who claim to be low odor actually still contain VOC’s, and the level increases as colour is added to the paint.
A well known piece of research into the dangers of paint, used material from Occupational Health Officer, Noni Holmes to describe 'painters syndrome'; “the solvents in oil based synthetic paints which are used to dissolve oils also happen to be fat soluble. That means they can be absorbed through the skin and lungs”. An environmental conference in the UK also heard that water based paints sometimes contain substitutes that are just as toxic as the original chemicals (1). Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is adversely affected by the use of conventional paints, with “extensive evidence to suggest that asthma and other respiratory disease sufferers are particularly at risk” (5). The German Ministry of the Environment found that a tightly insulated building with walls, floors, and ceilings coated in synthetic finishes (conventional paints included) can have indoor air pollution levels up to ten times higher than outdoors (1).
References:
1. Colour and Cancer, the Hazards of Housepaint. S. Dreyfus and A. Spivkovsky. Soft Technology
2. Pregnancy and Lifestyle Study, Dr J. Ford, in 3.
3. Health Issues of Paint www.ecologicalhomes.com.au
4. The ECOS story, ECOS
5. Paper presented at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainable Materials in Construction, in conjunction with RMIT University and the Centre for Design. Melbourne, November 2004
6. Ingredients of conventional paint (pdf file)- www.biofa.com