Harmful Chemicals in Paint

Many years ago, people realized the dangers of lead paint. Lead paint was a staple in homes that were constructed before 1978. The lead in that paint, chips of paint and dust produced by lead-based paints was discovered to be dangerous to a person’s health. We stopped using it and started testing for it so it could be removed from places that had used it.

Today we are seeing that even without lead, paint still contains harmful chemicals. These chemicals, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released into the air after you paint. Formaldehyde and other carcinogens are among the VOCs identified in paint.

The good thing is that there are new paints available that are being with low levels of or completely without VOCs. These paints contain resins, minerals, plant oils and pigments made from vegetables.

Several mainstream manufacturers make these paints, so they are not hard to find. YOu can check the label on a can at paint to see just what level of VOC it has.
The bonus of taking the time to find paints with little or no VOCs is that many of them do not have the "new paint" smell.