Non Toxic Paints Better For Your Health And Home

Many of us are blissfully unaware of the paint & coatings chemicals we are exposed to everyday

. Unfortunately, many in the industry are also nave when it comes to the common ingredients in conventionally made paints. This page is intended as a brief education for those who are interested, and a reminder that the complex chemistry of coatings needs to be monitored carefully by both users and producers alike. We are a petrochemical based society, but there are many areas which are turning to bio-friendly alternatives. With the help of Earthpaint, paintings and coating are heading in the right direction though the high production of toxic, dangerous paints continues.

We believe the best tool for change is education. An educated public demands non-toxic paint and knows what that means. But even if we demand non-toxic, sustainably made paint, we dont want to have to compromise on performance. The truth is that many toxic petro-chemicals generate a well performing paint, but ultimately they cause more harm than good and they arent all essential. What we need is to eliminate the toxic chemicals and make limited use of those that are useful. This is what we are doing at Earthpaint Inc.

When weighing out the use of chemicals, it can be sobering to realize that each time we get in a car (say to buy non-toxic paint) we are directly spewing at least 13 high priority toxic substances into the air including formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic and dioxin/furans. Petro-chemicals are in our clothes, shoes, toys, bikes, food, packaging, heating oil, baby clothes, baby bottles, coffee cups, underarm deodorants, skin care, make-up, candles.

Additionally, when we use electricity we sanction the largest mercury polluters on earth: Coal-Fired power plants. In 1999 an estimated 17 pounds of Mercury was emitted from our Asheville plant alone, with a total of 2720 lbs emitted in North Carolina. We are at a turning point, but a solution to these issues has not fully materialized yet.

Most pre-dispersed colorants contain toxins. People often think that natural pigments are the answer, but raw pigments (or earth pigments) can also contain substantial levels of toxicity. Ironically, the dust from raw earth pigments is often more toxic than organic (synthetic) pigments. While raw pigments often perform excellent in UV Radiation tests, they can be notoriously difficult to disperse properly into paint without expensive grinding mills. Lead, cadmium, arsenic and other natural metals can be found at greater levels in many raw earth pigments. If care is taken to protect against the pigment dust, most people can work with raw pigments in material such as plaster, but creating quality non-toxic paint is more complex. There are few, if any, completely non-toxic colors that are appropriate for paint.

Solvents are usually added to pigment dispersions to make them stronger, more affordable. Many of these solvents are toxic like ethylene glycol. Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylates (APES) are a problem for human and aquatic life worldwide, yet APES are in many colorants. If you buy non-toxic paint and have a few ounces of color added using toxic colorants -you now have toxic paint. Lighter colors or whites are a less toxic way to go, while darker colors use more colorant making them more toxic.

by: Nick Case

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