How to choose baby safe paint

 How to choose baby safe paint

How to choose baby safe paint

Not all colors are the same. Whether you're welcoming a new baby or just updating the wall color of your home, you might be interested in learning about paint ingredients and how they can affect your family's health.

Each can of paint contains different ingredients in different concentrations. To choose the safest paint for your home, you need to know what it contains. Here's how to look for child-safe paint.

What's in paint?

Paint formulations may contain ingredients such as nonylphenol ethoxylate, ethylene glycol and formaldehyde. They may also contain metals, crystalline silica, phthalates, fungicides, biocides and other components.

Paintings are made up of four main elements:

  • Additives
  • Binders
  • Pigments
  • Solvents

While pigments add color and shine, binders hold that color to the surface. The paint also contains solvents that act as a liquid and additives to help thicken, stabilize, defoam or preserve.

Health effects of paint exposure

Most modern paints are unlikely to cause health problems. But children and infants are more susceptible to breathing and developmental problems caused by paint fumes and ingredients. Thus, you can be very careful when choosing paint for your home.

Paint fumes can have the following effects on young children:

  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Vision problems
  • Eye irritation
  • Respiratory irritation

How to choose baby safe paint

Consider volatile organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds are the cause of paint fumes. These compounds dry easily at room temperature, evaporating and releasing a strong odor.

Volatile organic compounds are found in various paint ingredients, including formaldehyde, ethylene glycol, benzene, toluene, and others. They may be responsible for health effects such as headaches, vomiting, and dizziness. Long-term exposure to high levels of certain volatile organic compounds is believed to cause liver and kidney damage and even some types of cancer.

To keep the nursery safe for babies, choose a low volatile organic compound or zero volatile organic compound paint. Note that even pain labeled "zero volatile organic compound " may not be completely free of volatile organic compounds.

Look for water-based or natural paints. Opt for water-based paints instead of solvent-based or oil-based paints. Water-based paints (also called latex or acrylic) use water as a liquid and release fewer chemicals when dry.

You can also buy or even make "natural" paints that use a variety of non-chemical pigments. For example, milk paints are based on the protein casein of milk, as well as lime, natural pigments, chalk and clay.

Beware of ingredients containing ethoxylated alkylphenols. Chemicals called alkylphenol ethoxylates and subtypes such as nonylphenol ethoxylate are found in some acrylic paints. They have been found in human breast milk and studies show they cause reproductive and developmental problems in rats.

Be mindful of supplements. Paint additives can kill mold or bacteria or act as pesticides. But these additional ingredients can cause problems for people who are sensitive to them.

Finally, if you are pregnant, it is best to avoid contact with the paint. This includes during application and during the first few days when the paint dries and fumes.

Always paint in well-ventilated areas, away from children, pets, and people with respiratory conditions. Proper camouflage and cleaning can ensure you have a colorful new space without adverse health effects.

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