login | register
framework | about pharos | faq | contact us
the signal


Courtney Lorenz
Skanska
more >>





The Pharos Project is a project of the Healthy Building Network. HBN is:

In Vermont:
Bill Walsh, Paul Bogart

In California:
Julie Silas, Tom Lent

In Washington, DC:
Larry Kilroy, Sarah Gilberg, Sarah Pickell, Susan Sabella

In Maine:
Jim Vallette

  

WHEN ZERO VOC DOES NOT MEAN ZERO VOCS: BEWARE THE TINTS

TOM L.
 
25 FEBRUARY
 So, you picked a low- or no-VOC paint or high performance coating (HPC) and it still smells. What went wrong? It might be the tints. 

Listings of the VOC level in product literature for paints and HPCs generally only account for the un-tinted base product. Each ounce of colorant added to tint your paint or HPC may contain anywhere between 5 and 20 grams of VOCs. For a subtle off-white tint, requiring an ounce or less of colorant, this may not significantly affect the overall VOC content of the coating. A rich or dark-tinted color, however, could require 5-10 ounces of colorant, and the impact could be significant, adding 100 or more grams of VOCs per liter of paint or HPC. 

Furthermore, some manufacturers add substantially more VOCs to the base products designed for deep colors, effectively doubling the VOC content before tints are even added. In the Pharos Project, the net result could be to drop a product by up to four (4) points on the IAQ and other Toxic User Exposure (UseTox) scale.

What to do? If you are selecting a deep or dark tint, confirm that your base is still low- or no-VOC. Then, ask your distributor for VOC-free tinting. Several paint and HPC manufacturers now offer VOC-free colorant lines. Some examples are AFM Safecoat, Benjamin Moore, ICI Freshaire, and Mythic paints and International Building Products high performance coatings. 

Tom Lent is a researcher with the Pharos Project and the policy director of the Healthy Building Network.

Comments

There are 4 comments.

Tom Lent
  
Mar 12th

You are right Susan. Recycled content does not guarantee a healthy product. Not only may new toxic chemicals applied to them, such as the perfluorinated stain repellants, but the recycled material may bring along other toxic additives from its first use, such as heavy metals in recycled tires used for flooring or phthalates in recycled PVC vinyl used for carpet backing.

Tom Lent
  
Mar 12th

Thanks for your comment. That is very true. That is why we do not depend upon VOC content as the sole measure of the health impact and deduct points for toxic content - VOC or not. Refer to our previous blog http://pharosproject.net/index/blog/mode/detail/record/32/Sorting-out-vocs for more.

Susan Bahl
  
Mar 12th

Thank you for all your work..I began a "flooring and health centered interior design showroom/catalog in 1989. Did you know that Germany has produced linseed oil based paints for 50plus years. Made with Organic linseed oil. Auro was ready to build a plant here,but just couldn't fight the big chemical based paint corporations propaganda Yes there is many charades since us pioneers opened pandora's box. One that concerns me is recycled "nylon" carpet.It has stain repellent on it Or greenguard certification..I can go on..Wilson Art laminates has just acquired Greenguard approval huh??

Jim H. White
  
Mar 4th

to Jim from Jim If you look at the definition of "NO VOC" paints you will see that the sum total of VOC in the paint must be less than 1 percent. If some of the VOC are 100,000 times more toxic than the turpentine that was replaced, the toxic effect from exposure is thousands of time higher than with the older paints. This is progress? Some of the members of the standards committees sole purpose in being there is to pervert the truth. I have been on lots of committees and I sat in on others. What a charade it can all be.

Add a comment:

 

Charter Members

Partners HealthCare   St. Joseph Health System
Jason F. McLennan, CEO Cascadia Region Green Building Council     Gail Vittori, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems
Jack Geibig, University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products


Charter member subscriptions do not indicate endorsement of the content of Pharos. HBN is solely responsible for the Pharos Project site, its development and the accuracy of the evaluations therein.