Harmful Effects of Paint on the Environment

We all like to paint our homes and furniture for various reasons, be it decoration, protection and sanitization, but we end up forgetting its environmental impact and hazardous effects on our bodies. They include :

Apr 17, 2021 - 14:13

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Harmful Effects of Paint on the Environment

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1.Harmful Effects on Our Bodies

(a) High exposure to paints and their fumes causes headaches, skin irritations, asthmatic complications, it can trigger allergies, eye irritations and can lead to heart problems. We are advised to be careful during painting wear protective equipment and also let the paint dry before we come into contact with it.

(b) There is also a 20% -40% risk of certain types of cancer especially lung cancer to those who regularly work with paint according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and also a possibility of neurological damage according to Danish researchers.

2. Off-gassing

This is a dangerous process by which chemicals continue to release volatile toxins into the atmosphere long after their application is complete. This leads to health issues and people are advised to carefully select paints with low levels of VOCs.

3. Volatile Organic Compounds

The World Health Organisation reports that the levels of volatile organic compounds in a paint applied are 1000 times higher than the ones indoors. The lifetime of paint on your walls releases chemicals into the environment and this pollution is dangerous.

4 . Effects on the Environment

VOCs react with oxygen to form an ozone layer in the presence of sunlight. This leads to global warming and the greenhouse effect. A study conducted by the C.E.P.E reports that paints cause dangerous emissions.