Selecting paint for your own home brings a number of options: What type of paint, what sort of finish and what color? Water-based paints have emerged as “greener” and fewer smelly than solvent-based options. They usually are sometimes advertised as containing little-to-no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But, in accordance with research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters, a few of these paints do contain compounds which are consideredVOCs, together with other chemicals of emerging concern.
Paint consists of 4 ingredients: pigments, binders, additives and a liquid. If the liquid is water — as in latex and a few acrylic paints — it’s classified as a water-based paint, slightly than solvent-based. Historically, solvent-based paints were easy to use and sturdy, though they released foul-smelling VOCs into the air each during and after application, stinking up a newly painted room. These airborne VOCs could cause respiratory irritation and headaches, amongst other potential health problems, especially in high concentrations or over long periods of time. Despite water-based paints sporting labels with “zero-” or “low-VOC,” their formulations could contain potentially dangerous chemicals of their very own. So, Ying Xu and colleagues wanted to know more about these paints’ formulations. The team notes that there are differing definitions of what constitutes a VOC, a few of that are stricter than others, including the World Health Organization’s definition utilized in this research.
The team collected 40 water-based paints from around the globe, all ranked among the many top 70 most-sold brands, and lots of labelled as zero- or low-VOC. Each dry and wet samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to find out their composition.
- Twenty semi-volatile organic compounds were identified in concentrations starting from 10 to 35,000 parts per million. While less prone to be in a gaseous form, these can still persist indoors for years, often incorporated into dust.
- Endocrine-disrupting phthalates, which act as binders, were largely absent within the tested paints. Nonetheless, several phthalate-replacement chemicals were detected — their toxicities are still being assessed.
- Nearly half the analyzed samples contained measurable amounts of isothiazolinones — preservatives which were linked to skin irritation and asthmatic symptoms.
- In 24 of the wet paint samples advertised as either zero- or low-VOC, 11 different VOCs were detected at concentrations as much as 20,000 parts per million.
These concentrations represent the chemical composition inside the paint, not the air. Further studies are required to know how much of those potentially hazardous compounds change into airborne as painted surfaces are drying. The researchers say that this work could allow for the design of safer paint products in the long run.
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
