Do You Know What’s in that Paint You Put on your Walls?

By Lisa J. Chadderdon

Close your eyes and think of that “new paint smell”. Can you smell it? Now think of all the chemicals that go into making that distinctive new paint odor.

You might be surprised by how many chemicals are in conventional household paints – and by how toxic those chemicals are to the human body, even long after the paint has dried. In fact, there are more than 10,000 chemicals that can be used in conventional paints. Because many of those chemicals are newly-created chemical components, very little research has been conducted regarding their long-term effects on humans or the environment.

Conventional paints are loaded with “VOCs” – Volatile Organic Chemicals. VOCs are chemicals that become breathable gases at room temperature, and include benzene, toluene, vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, ethyl and mercury. Paints also commonly contain petrochemicals, ethylene glycol, and a host of other dangerous chemicals that are known to outgas in significant amounts. Cadmium and chromium are often found in the pigments used in conventional paints.

So if you have any household painting projects planned, you might want to take a closer look at exactly what you’re adding to the air you breathe inside your home.

The VOCs found in paint generally come from additives, including biocides, coloring agents, fungicides, and spreadability agents. Exposure to VOCs can cause a host of negative health effects, including, according to the EPA, “conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis [vomiting], epistaxis [nosebleeds], fatigue, [and] dizziness.” To that list, the American Lung Association adds muscle weakness and liver and kidney damage.

You can determine the VOC content of any paint by reading the label: VOC content is normally listed on the back of the container, and is measured in grams per liter (gm/l). The best choice if you’re concerned about the outgassing of VOCs is to use no-VOC paint. If no-VOC paint isn’t an option, then we recommend finding the lowest-VOC level possible. In general, latex paints tend to be lower in VOCs than oil-based paints, which are usually the highest in VOC content. But check the label – this isn’t true 100% of the time.

According to EPA regulations, any paint officially designated as “low-VOC” may contain a maximum of 250 gm/l of VOCs in latex paints, and no more than 380 gm/l in oil-based paints. But something to keep in mind is that these regulations are based primarily on the paint’s impact on reducing outdoor ozone formation – not on the paint’s impact on indoor air and human health.

No matter what kind of paint you use, it’s generally a good idea to leave the house while your home is being painted. Alternately, if it’s a DIY job, consider wearing a face mask while you paint, and try to leave the house while the paint dries. Also, it’s best to paint when the humidity is low, since hot and humid conditions increase the likelihood that VOCs will be emitted into the air. Make sure you open windows and use fans to blow out fume-filled air, and suck in fresh, clean air. Additionally, pregnant women should never paint, except if using no-VOC paints, since paint fumes can actually pass through the placenta and harm the fetus.

Below, we’ve put together a list of three main toxins found in most high-VOC paints, along with the effects that those chemicals can have on your health. And on a separate page, we’ve put together a list of other options – including low-VOC and no-VOC paints – that, aesthetically speaking, look just as good as higher-VOC paints (and last just as long), but are a whole lot healthier for our bodies and our environment.

1. Benzene
Benzene is a sweet-smelling chemical that easily sends out fumes. While most Benzene is manufactured, it is also produced naturally by volcanoes and forest fires. It is considered highly toxic when inhaled, can cause chromosomal damage, and is known to cause cancer and leukemia. Benzene can also affect the central nervous system, causing such health problems as headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness. The body can absorb this chemical by bathing in or drinking benzene-contaminated water.

2. Toluene
Toluene is a sweet-smelling industrial solvent that is produced by petroleum refining. It is used to manufacture benzene and urethane. Industrial plants that produce those chemicals may pollute the air with toluene. Toluene also occurs naturally in crude oil and the tolu tree. This chemical is considered a neurotoxin and a developmental toxin. If inhaled directly, it can affect and depress the nervous system, causing lightheadedness, headaches, euphoria, confusion, dizziness, and memory loss. Research suggests that it may also cause liver and kidney damage, hearing loss, and irregular heartbeats.

If inhaled over a long period of time, toluene can cause sleep problems, fatigue, and learning problems, as well as permanent brain damage. (One reason that it may cause brain damage is that VOCs, once they enter the body, are stored in fatty tissue. The brain is high in fat content and has a rich blood supply, making it an attractive VOC target.) Toluene can have serious effects on children – specifically through the inhalation of paints.

Last but not least, toluene can also be found in drinking water, which is one of the reasons why we don’t just dump old paint in the yard or down the drain – and is one reason why old or unused paint is considered hazardous waste that must be disposed of in specific and regulated ways.

3. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is one of the only VOCs found in paint that is actually regulated by the EPA. OSHA (the Occupational Health and Safety Administration) regulates formaldehyde as a carcinogen, and HUD (the Housing and Urban Development Department) has established a maximum exposure level of 0.4 parts per million (ppm) for mobile homes. In addition to being a known carcinogen, formaldehyde is considered an allergen and asthma trigger (which may in part explain why asthma cases in the U.S. are up 600% since 1980: formaldehyde is found in everything from the clothes we wear, to the pressed wood furniture that resides in many of our homes).

Formaldehyde is very strong-smelling, and is a very common indoor pollutant. Although formaldehyde can occur naturally, it is produced synthetically (and in large quantities) to aid in the manufacture of furniture, plastics, and building materials. It is considered highly toxic through inhalation, skin absorption, and by mouth. Common symptoms of exposure to formaldehyde include watery eyes, burning or stinging eyes, stuffy nose, and skin rashes. It may also cause flu-like symptoms. Repeated exposure to formaldehyde can actually result in bronchitis.

Click here to find out more about low-VOC and no-VOC paints – and where to buy them.