Monday, September 21, 2009

Painting the Green Way.

With all the hype about health care I think it is wiser to look at your home environment. Is your home as healthy as it can be? Could one make it better?
A few years ago I learned that Volatile Organic Compounds also known as VOC in paints can cause cancer, liver and kidney diseases. It can be a trigger mechanism of asthma attacks, sore throats and other upper respiratory problems. Because my family was affected by cancer this became a big ordeal. Last year I had to paint the Living room, the paint I chose was Freshaire it has No VOC in it.
VOC are the ingredients that are used in Coloring the paint. Sometimes they use formaldehyde and benzene in the paint to extend the self life and color.... here is a little note for you to chew on...They have stopped using Formaldehyde in labs due to the cancer causing effects of breathing it in. Now the pigment chemicals used in the paints can include lead, cadmium and chromium. That so called fresh paint smell are the VOC emissions from the volatile chemicals. Some of them are diethyl phthalate and dibutyl. Now one can choose to breathe that in and take the risk of problems in the family down the line. Or one can search for alternative solution.
The paint used in the home can be a good start for turn around your home environment. Last year when we painted the living room, there was no smell. I found the paint went on great and looked good. Even though the color choice is limited, the fact that it was healthier won out. It won't be long before there will be more color choices.
You are probably wondering how it has held up. Well, this year we had to replace our thermostat. It was smaller than the other one. I need to touch up and paint, grabbed the paint out of the garage and painted. You could not tell I had. The color was the same and there was no smell. I had to tell hubby I painted and be careful.
It is now time to paint another room. I will be using the same paint, different color, as the living room. We will never use regular house paint again. I wish for my family to live healthier and cancer free for a long time. Using the No VOC paint is a start in making a home healthier.
This is one more Green thing in my home.

Don't just take my word for it check out the reviews for Freshaire.
Want to find a paint color or learn more about the Freshaire paint click on photo.
Need more info on VOC here is a link US EPA

No comments:

Post a Comment