Fortunately, the market is putting out some green paints that are supposed to be less toxic in one way or the other. The trouble is that the number of green labels is growing, which can lead to customer confusion. Here are a few guidelines to help you out.

Why Choose “Green” Paints?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air in most houses these days is of worse quality than outdoor air. Paints and finishes can be one of the leading causes of indoor air pollution. Most are made from petrochemical-based solvents, and even after they’re dry, can release low levels of toxins into the air for years. Most of these toxins come from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene and formaldehyde. These compounds are emitted as gases and contain a variety of both natural and man-made chemicals, many of which can be hazardous to human health.

It used to be that VOCs were essential to the performance of indoor paints, but consumer demand for safer options has led to some lower-VOC alternatives. These options can reduce the occurrence of allergies and chemical sensitivities, improve indoor air quality, and lower the risk of other health problems, as well as reduce environmental contaminants. Painted areas can also be occupied sooner, as the telltale paint fumes are much less potent.

Types of Less-Toxic Paints

Though there are low-VOC options, most paints contain at least some VOCs. Even “zero-VOC” formulations contain a small amount of toxins. Three general categories of these safer paints include:

• Natural Paints: made with natural raw ingredients like water, plant oils and resins, plant dyes and essential oils, natural minerals, bee’s wax, earth and mineral dyes. They give off almost no smell, and are the safest option for human health.
• Zero-VOC: Any paint with a total amount of 5 grams/liter or less VOCs can be labeled zero-VOC. These are considered to be healthier options to regular paint.
• Low-VOC: These use water as a carrier instead of petroleum-based solvents, so they create lower levels of harmful emissions than regular paints. They also contain no, or very low levels of formaldehyde and heavy metals. Most of these paints meet the 50 grams/liter VOC threshold.

VOC Labels

In addition to the above categories, many regular paints have various “green” labels that say something about their emissions. Here are a few examples:

• Asthma & Allergy Friendly: This is a seal put out by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Paints that carry the seal are certified to ensure they do not have properties likely to irritate allergies and asthma. VOCs must not exceed certification thresholds, but I couldn’t track down what those were.
• Greenguard: This group allows only trace levels of VOCs, including formaldehyde and styrene. The Greenguard Environmental Institute sponsors this seal.
• Green Seal: This group limits VOCs, bars certain chemicals, and assesses performance.
• Green Wise: Products with this label have limited VOCs, are certified free of certain toxic chemicals, and have products tested by the Coatings Research Group. This label is not as common as some of the others.
• Green Sure: Created by Sherwin-Williams, this label covers only their products that have VOCs of 50 grams per liter or less and are free of certain chemicals. There is no third-party confirmation of the results. Consumer Reports says this one didn’t perform as well in tests.
• Green Promise: Created by Benjamin Moore and covers only their products, which are tested in third-party laboratories to meet the requirements of Greenguard.

Do They Work?

It’s all well and good to get rid of toxins, but then, does the paint work well on the wall? Of course, we care about that too!

The best option here is to do your research before you buy. The New York Times put out a review that acknowledged when low-VOC paints first came out, they didn’t work that well—they went on unevenly and the color choices were limited. Things have changed, however, and now we have options that really do cover nicely. The author named the following six brands as those that performed the best. The good news is that you can get good coverage in nice colors without risking your health.

• Farrow & Ball
• Stark
• Benjamin Moore Natura zero-VOC
• Safecoat
• Yolo Colorhouse
• Mythic zero-VOC paints

Have you done some painting with a low-VOC or natural paint? Please share your recommendations.

Photo courtesy Passive Income Dream.com via Flickr.com.

Sources

“An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality,” The Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html.

“Interior Paints: Not All Green Logos Mean the Same Thing,” Consumer Reports, February 7, 2012, http://news.consumerreports.org/home/2012/02/green-logos-for-low-and-no-voc-interior-paints.html.

“Non-Toxic Paints,” EarthEasy, Solutions for Sustainable Living, http://guides.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_paints.htm.

Stephen Treffinger, “Finally, Good-Looking, Nontoxic Paint?” The New York Times, February 10, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/garden/11roadtest.html?_r=1.

Health Dangers of Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor air pollution can cause a lot of problems, including exacerbating the severity of asthma symptoms among adults and children, increasing the occurrence and severity of headaches and respiratory symptoms, and causing fatigue and dizziness. Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) consistently rank indoor air pollution as among the top five environmental threats to public health. The United Nations Development Program estimated in 1998 that more than two million people die each year due to toxic indoor air.

Opening a window once in awhile, investing in a quality air purifier, dusting and vacuuming often, keeping up with the cleaning, and avoiding pollutants like smoke from candles and cigarettes, can all help improve indoor air quality. When it’s cold outside, however, and difficult to air things out, there are other items that can help reduce the toxins in your household air—houseplants!

The Magic of Houseplants

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that common houseplants like the spider plant, snake plant, and golden pothos reduced ozone levels. NASA also conducted a similar study and found that common houseplants can remove several key pollutants associated with indoor air pollution. In fact, NASA was so impressed that they’re going to launch some plants into space as part of the biological life support system aboard  future orbiting space stations.

What Plants Clean Out What Chemicals

According to the NASA study, some of the top plants most effective at cleaning out potentially hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde (found in insulation, particle board, and consumer paper products), benzene (found in inks, oils, paints, plastics, and rubber), and carbon monoxide from the air include the areca palm (also called the butterfly palm), the lady palm, bamboo palm, rubber plant, philodendron, dracaena “Janet Craig,” and the Boston fern.

Alive magazine published a recent article about houseplants and indoor pollution, and the following chart comes from that article, which you may read in depth here. Give it a try—you may find that a few more plants makes your air a lot more pleasant to breathe.

Have you increased the number of houseplants in your home to help clean out the air? Please share your experiences.

Sources:

“It’s Winter: Beware the Indoor Air Pollution,” Public Health News Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, January 26, 2005. http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/2005/buckley_indoor_air.html.

Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Indoor Air Pollution Increases Asthma Symptoms, Study Suggests.” ScienceDaily, 19 Feb. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.

Illinois Department of Public Health Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality, Environmental Health Fact Sheet, Illinois Department of Public Health. http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/indoorairqualityguide_fs.htm.

American Society for Horticultural Science. “Houseplants Cut Indoor Ozone.” ScienceDaily, 8 Sep. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.

“NASA Study House Plants Clean Air,” Zone 10, The Plant & Garden Zone for Homeowners. http://www.zone10.com/nasa-study-house-plants-clean-air.html.

Will Richter, “The Best Holiday Houseplants,” Alive, http://www.alive.com/articles/view/23316/the_best_holiday_houseplants.

Greg Seaman, “The Top 10 Plants for Removing Indoor Toxins,” EarthEasy, May 13, 2009. http://eartheasy.com/blog/2009/05/the-top-10-plants-for-removing-indoor-toxins/.

Photo courtesy Chiot’s Run via Flickr.com.

I got an email a short time ago that warned me to open the windows in my car to let it air out before turning on my air conditioning, to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals like benzene. As with all these email warnings, I always wonder—is there any truth in it, or is it just another misinformed message?

In this case, I found some truth—important enough to share with Cinco Vidas readers. Here’s the real deal.

Your car—like any enclosed area—tends to trap air inside when it’s left for hours or even days and weeks without being opened. In addition, particularly when you’re driving in heavy traffic, the interior of your car, simply because it’s less ventilated then the air outside, can become more concentrated with toxic pollution. You may have heard of indoor air pollution in your home. Well, this is something similar, only now we’re talking about “in-car” air pollution. (By the way, none of this has anything to do with the air conditioning—it’s strictly about pollutants being trapped inside the car.)

A report by the International Center for Technology Assessment reviewed 23 studies covering the main pollutants found in cars, including particulate matter (which can include smoke, dirt, dust, mold, spores, and pollen), volatile organic compounds (VOCs like benzene, which has been linked with cancer), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and ozone.¹ You can read the report for all the details, but here are a few highlights:

• Concentrations of VOCs were over 6 times higher in cars than at fixed-site measuring stations and nearly 2 times higher than at the side of the road.
• Car commuters were exposed to more benzene than subway commuters, even though subway commutes were shorter.
• Two studies showed higher benzene concentrations in passenger cars during urban driving than during suburban or highway driving.
• Improperly maintained vehicles had higher in-vehicle concentrations of benzene.
• A 1995 study found that most in-car VOCs come from outside exhaust (not dashboards and seats as the email implied).
• Carbon monoxide levels inside cars showed consistently higher than in ambient air. Driving on urban streets caused higher in-car exposures than rural roads or interstates.

A quote from the center: “This report found that pollution levels inside cars are often much higher than those detected in the ambient air, at the roadside, and in other commonly used vehicles.”

The email I received mentioned a Korean study that also detected toxic chemicals like benzene, toluene, and methl-tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) inside of cars during commutes.² They weren’t sure of the source of these chemicals, however.

After reviewing these reports and studies, it makes sense to me. Your car can trap airborne chemicals inside. If you’re driving in busy traffic, especially, your exposure to some of these toxins is probably going to be higher than if you’re on the highway or driving through the country. If you leave your car sitting for awhile without ventilation, the air is likely going to become more concentrated with dangerous chemicals.

Here are some easy tips to lower your risk of in-car toxic pollution:

• Drive less—walk or bike to work if you can.
• Keep your vehicle properly maintained. Vehicles that spew more exhaust because of faulty engine operation are likely to expose you and those around you to more toxic chemicals.
• Use public transportation. Though the Korean study showed some exposure to toxic chemicals on the bus, they were lower than that within a commuting car.
• When you get in your car, roll the windows down and let it air out before closing it up.
• Encourage your elected officials to support public transportation projects in your area, particularly if you live in a large city with a lot of traffic.

What do you think of this report? Are you going to change your driving habits? Please share your thoughts.

Sources

1. International Center for Technology Assessment, “In-Car Air Pollution: The Hidden Threat to  Automobile Drivers,” Report No. 4. An Assessment of the Air Quality Inside Automobile Passenger Compartments. July 2000. http://www.icta.org/doc/In-car%20pollution%20report.pdf.
2. Jin-Woo lee and Wan-Kuen Jo, “Actual Commuter Exposure to Methyl-Tertiary Butyl Ether, Benzene, and Toluene While Traveling in Korean Urban Areas,” The Science of the Total Environment 291 (1-3): 219-228 (May 2002). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969701011019.

Photo courtesy LydiaLD via Flickr.com.

If you’re a candle lover, we’re not here to put out your light. We just want to warn you that it does matter what kind of candles you buy, as some can release harmful toxins.

Recent research from the South Carolina State University found that paraffin-based candles (paraffin is a by-product of petroleum) give off potentially toxic chemicals like astoluene and benzene. These substances are found in paint and varnish removers. The Environmental Protection Agency has labeled them to be probable carcinogens.

In addition to the danger of disease, other research has linked the smoke from scented candles to asthma and eczema. Though researchers said that lighting a candle now and then poses little danger, candles lit regularly—particularly in rooms with little ventilation like bathrooms and bedrooms—could be polluting the air you breathe. In fact, last year the American Lung Association issued a warning stating that candles are becoming one of the most common unrecognized causes of poor indoor air quality.

Besides the astoluene and benzene, some candles have metal-core wicks, which can release lead and other harmful toxins. Though candles with lead-core wicks have been banned in the U.S. since 2003, there are still some on the shelves, and many that are imported (from countries like China or Taiwan). “Some candle makers use metal-core wicks because cotton wicks are often limp and fall over into the wax,” said Jerome O. Nriagu, Ph.D., professor of environmental chemistry at the Universtiy of Michigan. The oils used in scented candles as well are often petroleum-based synthetics.

You can get around all these dangers by purchasing candles made of natural waxes like vegetable, soybean or beeswax, as they burn more cleanly. Watch the labels, as some candles may be only half beeswax and the other half paraffin. Be on the lookout for shiny metal wire inside wicks, and go for pure paper or cotton. Keep wicks trimmed to one-quarter inch, and avoid drafts, as they can blow more toxins into the air. Ask Dr. Sears recommends you avoid candles in jars as they don’t get enough oxygen and can cause toxic black soot. Finally, avoid heavily scented varieties and go for organic scented candles, which are typically scented by natural oils, not chemicals. Try Green Logic’s organic scented soy wax candles, or The Fine Cotton Company’s luxury organic candles.

Do you have a favorite brand of organic, toxin-free candles? Please let us know!

Photo courtesy funksphotos via Flickr.com.