MSM Highlights: Going Green

Camping’s not for you? “Besides” you tell yourself with what seems the best excuse ever: “I need to get to those painting jobs I have been putting off!”

Why not choose earth friendly paint options?

Going green doesn't mean you have to do without fabulous paint color. There are many options available today that are not only stylish, but eco-friendly as well.

Introduction to Alternative Interior Paints

Do you know what one of the top 5 leading health risks are in the

according to the EPA? Try indoor air. That's right, the air in your house. And one of the leading causes of that problem are the paints, varnishes and solvents we use containing VOC's. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound and has been a key component of the composition of oil based paint and can be a problem even in traditional latex based paints.

Exposure to VOC's in paint can trigger asthma attacks, eye irritation and respiratory problems, nausea and dizziness among other symptoms. Prolonged exposure has been linked to kidney and liver disease and even cancer.

Given the health concerns of consumers and new government regulations, alternative paints have been coming on the market over the past few years and now present a well rounded, economical choice over VOC intensive paints. Voluntary standards for VOC content in alternative paint products have been established by Green Seal®, an independent non-profit who sets standards for environmentally responsible or "green" products. The Green Seal certification for Standard GS-11 is based on VOC content, the absence of chemicals, durability and performance among other criteria.

The different types of healthy alternative paints include:

Ø Low Odor or Low VOC Paint

Ø Zero VOC Paint

Ø Non-Toxic or Natural Paint

Green Seal Standard GS-11 for Low Odor or Low VOC Paint

Green Seal® Logo

The Green Seal organization sets much more stringent standards than the EPA for acceptable VOC levels in paint. For interior flat paint, the EPA allows levels of 250 grams per litre (g/L) while Green Seal allows only 50 g/L.

The other important benefit is that Green Seal prevents the use of the following nasty chemicals in the production of the paint:

Ø Halomethanes (methylene chloride)

Ø Chlorinated ethane’s (1,1,1-trichloroethane)

Ø Aromatic solvents (benzene, toluene (methylbenzene), ethylbenzene)

Ø Chlorinated ethylenes (vinyl chloride)

Ø Polynuclear aromatics (naphthalene)

Ø Chlorobenzenes (1,2-dichlorobenzene)

Ø Phthalate esters (di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate)

Ø Miscellaneous semi-volatile organics (isophorone)

Ø Heavy metals and their compounds (antimony, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury)

Ø Preservatives (formaldehyde)

Ø Ketones (methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone)

Ø Miscellaneous volatile organics (acrolein, acrylonitrile)

You'll want to make sure that whatever paints you buy has the Green Seal "mark of environmental responsibility" or states that it meets Green Seal Standard GS-11.

How Long Does VOC Off-Gassing Continue?

Green Seal's April 2006 "Proposed Environmental Standard and Environmental Evaluation of Recycled Content Latex Paint" states the following related to the continued release of VOC's from latex paints:

"Although many of the toxic materials found in paints have been reduced in recent years due to legislation, especially among latex paints, some may still be released as the paint dries and the compounds volatilize, while others continue to be released into the ambient environment after the paint dries when there is no detectable odour...Paint emissions can continue for extended periods of time after application and Sparks et al. (1999) estimated that less than 50% of the VOC's in latex paint (applied to a surface) are emitted in the first year. Compounds studied include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, Texanol®, and butoxyethanol."

So the bottom line is that VOC's continue to be released well after paint is dry.

Now that we have a good understanding of what VOC's are and the health risk standard paint can have especially to young children and people with asthma, let's review each type of alternative paint and see what they are made from and how they differ as an alternate choice to standard paints.

Low Odor or Low VOC Paint

First of all, there is no clear mandatory standard for what constitutes a Low-VOC paint or a Zero-VOC paint. Even the voluntary standards that do exist do not include VOC's from the pigment added at the paint store when you tint the paint at purchase. Also, please be aware that just like a lot of other "organic" marketing going on with our milk and foods, some companies use Low-VOC or No-VOC paint as a marketing term. Further, because these terms are confusing, a lot of store clerks may improperly inform you as to the actual VOC status of a paint. It will ultimately be up to you to read the labels on the paint can and see if they at least meet the Green Seal GS-11 Standard or better.

Low Odor or Low VOC Paint are terms used to describe VOC content that meets the less stringent EPA standard of 250 g/L for latex paints or 380 g/L for oil based paint. But here's where it gets confusing. A paint may be labelled Low VOC and be significantly BETTER than these standards.

For example, if you buy a Green Seal certified paint, the maximum VOC content will be 50 g/L for flat paint or 150 g/L for other paint, not 250 g/L as per the EPA standard.

So Low Odor or Low VOC paints are generally marketed by reputable paint manufacturers as at least meeting the 50 g/L VOC threshold, with many paints doing better than this. You should look for a VOC range of 10-25 g/L.

An example of a paint that meets this spec is Pristine Eco-Spec Paint by Benjamin Moore & Co. (www.benjaminmoore.com)

Zero or No VOC Paint

Zero VOC or NO VOC paint is a misnomer and only means very, very low levels of VOC. Usually paints marketed with these titles will have VOC's in the range of under 5 g/L. Even when adding in pigment at the paint store which can add 2-5 g/L of VOC, the total VOC content for the mixed paint should be under 10 g/L which is excellent.

This low level of VOC content paint is as good as it's going to get with the larger paint companies.

An example of a paint that meets this spec is Harmony® Paint by Sherwin-Williams. (www.sherwin.com)

To get lower VOC content than this you'll need to use more expensive and less readily available Non-Toxic or Natural Paint.

Non-Toxic or Natural Paint

Non-Toxic or Natural Paints are mostly manufactured by alternative paint companies. These paints will be harder to find and you may have to order them on line. They are made from natural ingredients and although they are environmentally friendly and healthy, you may experience some performance difference in the way the paint covers (or doesn't) and flows off the brush. Just be aware that these paints don't all act like the mass produced paints to which we've become accustomed.

That being said, Non-Toxic or Natural Paints are as safe as paint gets. Their raw ingredients are all natural and include things like:

Ø water

Ø plant oils (like citrus)

Ø plant dyes

Ø natural minerals such as clay

Ø milk protein

Ø natural latex

Ø bees' wax

Ø earth and mineral dyes and other ingredients

Although these paints may have small amounts of ingredients such as latex milk protein, allergic reactions are very uncommon and these paints remain the safest type of paints you can use.

Some natural paint manufacturers include:

Ø Bio Shield (www.bioshieldpaint.com)

Ø Livos (www.livos.us)

Ø Auro (www.aurousa.com)

Ø Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company (www.milkpaint.com)

Green Seal Certified Paint Manufacturers

For reference, Green Seal has certified the following companies and products as having met at least the GS-11 Standard for Low VOC content. There are many others that also meet the standard but these are the ones that have had Green Seal certify their product and can display the Green Seal mark:

Ø InPro Corporation
Armorwall

Ø Master Paints and Chemical Corporation
Eco Pure Interior/Exterior line

Ø Miller Paint Co.
Acro Pure Interior line

Ø Randolph Products Company
770W11 Exterior Primer

Ø Rust-Oleum Corporation
Sierra Performance line

Ø YOLO Colorhouse

Ø Earth's Color Collection Interior line

Ø Little Yolo Interior line

Ø Earth's Color Collection Exterior line

The New Alternative - Ceramic Paint

Ceramic Paint by O'Leary Paint

The next generation in Low VOC paints has arrived with the advent of Ceramic Paint. No, it's not to be used on ceramics, it uses microscopic ceramic beads as a key component of the paint film.

To learn more about this great product, read my tutorial Ceramic Wall Paint - Low VOC and Improved Durability.

By: Bob Formisano is an architect and builder and has managed commercial and residential projects valued at over $275 Million. In 1996 he left a national architectural firm as Vice President and opened his own business helping companies successfully construct their new building projects. In 2004 he also created and launched www.Home-Cost.com, an on-line home building cost estimating website geared to help consumers accurately estimate their new home construction cost. Bob has been working on homes for over 25 years. His love for houses and their design, construction, repair and renovation has grown as he and his wife have lived in several with dates of construction ranging from 1919 to 2006.

As seen in the May Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

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