If you are moving into a new home or simply just looking to repaint or refurbish your current one, it is hugely important that you think about the types of paint that you are using, from the clear coat for painted wood to paint for decks and paint for the nursery. Though, aside from the color that you choose, it might not seem all that important, picking out paint is, in fact, the very opposite.
For one, when picking out pain from a clear coat for painted wood to porch and floor paint to wall paint, you should be careful to choose a paint like low voc sealants and adhesives. VOC stands for volatile organic compound, and volatile organic compounds can have a number of negative health effects if there high concentrations of them in your clear coat for painted wood or deck paint, as well as crib paint and paint for the nursery. These negative effects only worsen the longer that you are exposed to them, which means that many of us are likely to suffer a number of detriments. As the average person spends around ninety percent of all of their time in an indoor setting – one potentially filled with volatile organic compounds – this is something that the average home owner should know so that they can buy low voc sealants and adhesives.
Volatile organic compounds are particularly harmful to those who have chemical sensitivities. For someone with a chemical sensitivity, a VOC level of just five hundred ppb could be a cause for concern. Children as well are more likely to be susceptible to the negative effects from the volatile organic compounds found in a clear coat for painted floors and other such sources of volatile organic compounds in paint. For children who have lived in an environment with volatile organic compounds present, there is an increased risk of not only rhinitis, but of asthma and eczema as well. In those who are susceptible to VOCs, aside from children, such as the elderly and those who are immunocompromised, the effects of VOCs can be even more severe. From eco friendly wood floors to eco friendly paint primer, products with low voc sealants and adhesives should always be chosen when possible.
The negative impact of volatile organic compounds on adults has also been looked into. In one study, a group of office workers were moved to work in an environmentally controlled office instead of their office that had levels of volatile organic compounds present. In just this span of less than a week, the changes seen in these employees was considerable. When cognitively assessed, they performed more than one hundred percent better than they had at the beginning of the study, showing the negative impact that volatile organic compounds can have on overall and general cognitive ability. VOCs are more present than ever before too, but can be countered through the use of paint and sealant like low voc sealants and adhesives as well as environmentally friendly building materials. Part of this is caused by the use of synthetic building materials, which can be undone by using environmentally flooring, low voc sealants and adhesives, and the like.
Fortunately, while volatile organic compounds should of course be taken seriously, you may not be imminently in danger from them even though you should always use low voc sealants and adhesives when possible. This is because these volatile organic compounds actually degrade over time – and most significantly over the course of a year – and if you have had applies a clear coat for painted wood or the like more than one full year ago, it is likely that you no longer need to worry about the level of volatile organic compounds that you are currently being exposed to. However, it is important to make your paint selections carefully in the future, choosing low voc sealants and adhesives and eliminating the risk of any negative side effects to begin with in the first place. From low voc sealants and adhesives to lead paint removers, there are many ways to reduce VOCs.
