Everyone is familiar with the smell of paint and most people will know from their own decorating experience that the odour of new paint can linger for a few days afterwards. To many people this is not much of a problem and with sufficient ventilation the odour should pass within a couple of days.
Harmful Paint Fumes
To a few people, however, the smell can be more troublesome, particularly for those with respiratory problems and allergies. Children, also, can be more susceptible to strong odours, as well as some of the harmful affects of the chemicals within paints.
Modern paints contain a variety of solvents and chemicals which you need to be aware of. Commonly referred to as Volatile Organic Chemicals, these solvents can have a detrimental effect to health long after the initial odour has passed.
Since January 2007 there has been legislation which sets out upper limits for VOC’s in paint products and in 2010 amended legislation will further restrict their use.
There is currently a voluntary labelling system which has been adopted by B&Q and Dulux, as well as some other paint manufacturers, to advise consumers on the levels which each paint product contain. Those products labelled with the green globe contain virtually no VOC’s and those with a red globe contain the highest amounts.
Go Organic
Nowadays many decorative paints can be purchased in ‘water-based’ or ‘organic’ varieties with little or no harmful contents rather than the traditional ‘oil-based’ versions which, typically, have a high level of solvents and chemicals.
Although these water-based products can be more costly this can be more than outweighed by the benefits. Not only do they give-off much less noxious odours and are more pleasant to use, but, because they are water based, brushes and rollers, etc can easily be cleaned with warm water rather then turps or white spirits which saves time, money and mess in the long-run.
A few tips to remember when using paint to decorate a child’s room:
- Wherever possible use low VOC products and water based products
- Traditional gloss paints and varnishes contain the highest level of harmful chemicals – modern water-based, organic paints contain the least.
- Ensure adequate ventilation during and after painting
- Even after the odour has passed some paints can give-off harmful fumes for years afterwards.
- Don’t leave tins of paint, equipment and cleaning materials in the room. Keep them outside and dispose of carefully when finished with.
- Do not allow a child to sleep in a room which has just been painted. In all cases the room should have been well ventilated for at least a couple of days afterwards.