Non-toxic paints gaining in popularity

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Non-toxic paints gaining in popularity

April 17, 2009

Jennifer Forker

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

_http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/618770_

(http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/618770)

 

Spring often brings the urge to clean, perhaps to liven up a room with a

fresh coat of paint. Now that can be done with eco-friendly paints that

don't give off noxious odours.

 

The non-toxic arm of the household paint world is booming, and many

companies have entered the market.

 

AFM's Safecoat brand is the granddaddy of the non-toxic paint business,

having been in the market for 25 years. Boutique brands, including Mythic and

YOLO Colorhouse, have cropped up in recent years, and industry giants tout

their own non-toxic, latex brands.

 

Sherwin Williams has its Harmony line, while Home Depot sells Freshaire

Choice. Benjamin Moore already sells its low-toxic Aura but is rolling out a

new, zero-VOC interior paint called Natura that it says will be available

in all of its nearly 3,000 colours.

 

" Everyone is trying to paint a green face on themselves, " said David

Johnston, 58, of Boulder, Colo., a building consultant who wrote Green from the

Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy and Energy-Efficient Home Construction

(Taunton, 2008).

 

**That *new house smell,* as much as we've come to love it, is really a

flag that there*s something in the air that we don*t want our kids to

breathe,** said Johnston.

 

VOC refers to volatile organic compounds, those chemical additives that

make regular paint work its magic: They help it roll on smoothly, dry fast

and prevent mildew. Some of these chemicals are natural (but still toxic),

such as formaldehyde, which is added to curtail chipping.

 

Not all paints have the same types and frequency of VOCs, which can cause

smog and deplete the ozone. Some of the compounds have been linked to

cancer, and the paint smell that lingers for days or weeks after painting is

the

**off gassing** of these chemicals.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that exposure to paints high

in VOCs can cause headaches, dizziness and vision problems, among other

symptoms, depending on which chemicals are in the paint, how long the exposure

is and a person*s age (kids are more vulnerable). These paints are

regulated, to some degree, and cannot include more than 250 grams per litre of

VOCs.

 

Non-toxic latex paint is not regulated. The most eco-friendly paints have

zero VOCs, but some paints are low-VOC, with 50 grams per litre.

 

So how does a consumer know if a paint brand really is non-toxic?

 

Industry insiders suggest a simple sniff test: If the paint smells

noxious, it has VOCs, perhaps a lot of them. If it*s odourless, or smells like

fresh milk, then it*s likely a non-toxic paint.

 

**If something smells pungent, or if it burns your nose or your eyes, you

know that's probably not something you want to paint with,** said Carl

Minchew, director of colour technology at Benjamin Moore in Montvale, N.J.

 

However, because some toxic chemicals are odourless, Johnston advises that

consumers read labels and look for certification that a brand is

eco-friendly.

 

Not all paints that advertise as eco-friendly actually are, warn industry

insiders. Colorants added to the non-toxic base paint at the retail store

can shoot up the levels of VOC, said Minchew, with darker colours, such as

reds, carrying the highest levels.

 

Benjamin Moore uses a new, water-borne colorant system that adds no toxins

to Natura, he said. AFM is rolling out a new brand called Safecoat

Naturals that will use zero-VOC colorants, said AFM vice-president Jay Watts in

San Diego, Calif.

 

Alex Rossi, 34, a Denver-area house painter, uses only non-toxic paints,

and says they are as simple to use and durable as regular latex, or oil,

paints. They dry faster than regular latex paints because the water in

zero-VOC paints evaporates faster than the other paints* petroleum products.

 

Years ago, the zero-VOC paints didn*t work as well as regular latex

paints, Rossi said. They didn*t cover a surface as easily or thoroughly, he

said.

Today, Rossi has found that*s not the case.

 

**What the green paint companies have done is they*ve found ways to make

their paint more scrubbable and more user-friendly to compete with the old

traditional coatings,** he said. **With two coats of the two products (latex

and zero-VOC latex paint) side by side, I see no difference.**

 

Some of his customers, such as Laurie Tamm, 52, of Boulder, Colo., are

chemically sensitive. Tamm said that immediate exposure to toxic chemicals

such as VOCs in paint (or other household products, such as carpets and

cabinetry) can give her headaches, anxiety, depression and even paranoia. She

thinks of herself and other chemically sensitive people as the proverbial

canaries in the coal mine.

 

**I*ve been going through this for 20 years,** she said, adding that she

cannot enter newly built buildings because of fumes. **If anyone is going to

start the trend (of using non-toxic paint), it has to start with people

like me.**

 

Non-toxic latex paints are similar in price to high-end latex ones.

 

Minchew thinks consumers will appreciate the non-toxics' faster drying

time.

 

**You can paint in the room in the morning and eat in there in the

evening,** said Minchew. **That*s something you couldn*t do with a traditional

latex paint.**

 

 

thestar.com

 

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