Eco Friendly – Non Toxic – Low VOC Paint

If you’ve ever suffered a headache from fresh paint, you’ll appreciate this development: no- and low VOC paint (volatile organic compound). Old-style paints include cancer-causing solvents that are released into the air as your paint job dries and cures. Now, even mainstream paint companies like Benjamin Moore, Kelly-Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Olympic Paint and Stain offer “zero-VOC” paints —water-based products with five grams of VOCs per liter or less. Low-VOC paints use formaldehyde and heavy metals sparingly or not at all. Improvements began in the 1970s when manufacturers stopped using lead, a traditional component of paint through the centuries that is poisonous if eaten or inhaled. Before you try removing paint that might have lead, get advice from the staff at a reputable paint or hardware store. Don’t even sand old paint; you can get lead poisoning simply from eating or inhaling lead paint dust.(Learn about the hazards of lead paint, from the Environmental Protection Agency.)