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Poison alert: Beware of the chemicals in paint.

Some of the paints may contain formaldehyde and benzene, which are carcinogenic, while others may have heavy metals such as lead, mercury and phthalates, which are human and ecosystem toxins.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has slated 1000 ppm (“parts per million”) as the benchmark for acceptable levels for lead in paints.

However, this feature is only optional and manufacturers are not bound by law to adhere to it and provide safe household paints.

Lead-based paints have already been banned in many countries across the world.

However, as India does not have enforceable limits for lead in paints, it results in less controlled paint products.

Conventional paint is composed of a solid portion (resin, fillers, pigments, curing agents and performance additives) and a liquid carrier.

Most paints are in the range of 25-30 per cent solids and have a carrier content of 70-75 per cent.

A carrier may be either a volatile organic solvent or water.

If water is used as the carrier, additional components such as ammonia may be used to keep the resin and other additives in suspension. One of the growing concerns of the paint industry today is the high concentration of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that off-gas during the painting process — and sometimes for months or years afterward.

Most of these VOCs come from the synthetic solvents that give it a usable consistency and evaporate after application — the source of that fresh-paint smell.

When carriers evaporate during curing, they can leave tiny pinholes that promote corrosion.

Volatile organic compounds used as carriers are neurotoxic, carcinogenic and inflammable.

Handling, transporting and finally disposing them of without causing environmental damage is expensive and laborious.

Externally, VOCs like vinyl chloride and benzene emitted from paint react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, or smog. Consequently, eliminating the use of a carrier becomes important for these reasons.

Nowadays, many paints launched in the market contain lower levels of VOCs or is zero-VOC, which helps to reduce the smells and off-gassing that are commonly associated with fresh paint.

Low VOC paints, stains and varnishes use water as a carrier instead of petroleum-based solvents.

As such, the levels of harmful emissions are significantly lower than solvent-borne surface coatings.

These certified coatings also contain nil, or very low levels, of heavy metals and formaldehyde with performance levels and finishing on a par with the regular paints in the market.

Oil-based paints (also known as solvent-based paints, or alkyd paints) are not recommended, because they are not available in low-volatile organic compound (VOC) blends, less toxic formulations, or recycled-content paints. Some of the recently introduced ozone friendly, environment – safe, CFC free paints have no added heavy metal or ammonia.

Unpleasant paint odours during and after painting are eliminated.

Organically based non-toxic water soluble wall and floor finishes, containing no petrochemical solvents, fungicides, acrylics, vinyls or preservatives, are a good option for your home and sensitive to the environment.

These innovative organic paint solutions for interior walls, wood and metal are prepared from natural and organic raw materials, such as natural gum, shellac, natural oils (linseed, poppy, and safflower) and wax as binders dissolved with water as solvent.

Produced in accordance with the principles of sustainable organic chemistry these organic options help to reduce the carbon footprint by up to 30 kg.

So, if you are looking at adding a dash of colour to your interiors, remember to scrutinise the paint constituents before you go ahead and pick up a can of paint.

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