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Low Toxic Paints in the Home

Are you thinking of painting your home but are worried about the levels of chemicals that it contains?  Now there’s a new alternative with low toxic and natural paints becoming ever more available, in many cases, in major paint stores.  Even if you haven’t thought about it, making the switch from standard to low toxic points can help the environment and your health.

Why is Paint Toxic?

The smell that fills your home after you’ve painted is actually released by ingredients known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  These VOCs are used as solvents in the paint and include such toxic compounds as benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, and xylene, all of which can pose a risk to your health.

The higher the levels of VOCs in the paint, the stronger the paint will smell.  If you are exposed to these VOCS, you may get headaches, nauseous, worsened asthma symptoms, irritation of the eyes, nose or skin, respiratory problems, dizziness, and even convulsions or nerve damage.

As well as the risks to your health, VOCs also cause higher levels of indoor air pollution and also help to form ozone at the ground level.  As an example, a room that has just been painted can contain up to 1000 times more pollution that the air outside, thanks to the VOCs in paint.

Low Toxic Paint Alternatives

There are paints available from all of the major paint brands – such as Dulux, Pascol Paints, Taubmans, and Wattyl – as well as smaller brands that are water-based acrylics with VOC levels of around five to ten percent.  This makes for much less fumes during the painting process.  Dulux actually makes a paint called “Breathe Easy” that has no VOCs and does not give off fumes at all.

When you consider that oil-based paints can have VOC levels of as high as fifty percent, water-based acrylics are a much safer option – plus, cleaning up is so much easier.  Currently, Australian standards require there to be no more than five grams per litre of VOCs in water-based acrylics.

Natural Paint Alternatives

Natural paints are made chiefly from ingredients that are found in nature and, as such, are very environmentally and health friendly.  These paints contain VOC levels of zero to one percent, and use renewable resources.  For indoor paints, the most common type of paint is a clay-based one.

Clay paint is breathable and can be used in a variety of situations, both internal and external.  Many different colours and effects can be achieved.  These natural clay paints are low allergy, non toxic, free of solvents (VOCs), use natural pigments to create a huge range of colours, are low in odour, and is very durable.

Natural paints can be used on surfaces such as Gyprock, masonry, timber, brick, and fibre cement.

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