Low VOC paint, VOC free products

Through my daily travels and group talks I keep running into the same questions regarding volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It seems that a lot of people I talk to know what VOCs are, but really that is where it all ends. Two major points that keep coming up are “I grew up with these products and I am fine” and “It cost too much money to buy low VOC or VOC free products”. So of course these are the two questions I am going to address.

Let’s start with the basics, what are VOCs? Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are an off-gassing that are formed from the breakdown of chemicals. Majority of VOCs occur from plants which are affected by the temperature and sunlight. Biological derived VOCs are not the concern of health officials worldwide. What has everyone concerned are the man-made volatile organic compounds. These VOCs are found in many of our household products like paints, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, furnishings (ie: carpet, sofa) permanent markers and craft materials including glue. These are the VOCs that affect our homes IAQ (indoor air quality).

So this brings us to question #1, “I grew up with these products and I am fine”. Time has passed, the studies are out and it is not good. Wonder why governments keep banning chemicals we used for many years? Well it turns out they are making us sick, who knew. The problem happens to be the off-gassing of chemicals like formaldehyde, decane, benzene and vinyl chloride happens very slowly. To give you an example a freshly painted baby’s room will have up to 1000 times the levels of VOCs then outdoors and then for the next 7 years the room will have up to 10 times the levels of VOCs then outdoors. Your new born baby will spend on average 8 hours a day in that room slowly breathing in all those chemicals. Medical studies now show that slow exposure leads to slow symptoms which in return you don’t notice your baby is getting sick. Increased medical conditions like Asthma, Cancer, leukemia in children and allergies have all been link to slow long-term exposure to VOCs.

Now let’s get to question #2 “It cost too much money to buy low VOC or VOC free products”. Well this would be true if it was 1995 and going green was the trendy yuppie thing you do if you want to fit in on the west coast. But this is 2010 and times have changes. Increased awareness has driven up demand on low VOC and VOC free products. So in short simple economics stated increased demand brings lower prices as companies fight for sales. For example I went to my local hardware store and priced out VOC free paint (before color) and regular paint.
VOC free paint $32.99
Low end generic paint $ 44.99
In fact it looks like going green is cheaper, and it will only continue to get cheaper as demand continues to increase.

IAQ (Indoor air quality) is very important to the health and well being of you and your family. For more secrets on how to protect your family and increase your indoor air qualities visit www.ecoconsultant.ca. You can also receive free consultation with an eco-consultant and find ways to green up your home, save money and live healthier lives. Remember saving the planet should be a by-product of sustainability home savings and your family’s health.