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Painting is an important part of keeping your building 'green'. It preserves and protects building materials, extending the life of the building. However, paints, lacquers and varnishes are among the chemical everyday products that have a particularly distinct effect on environment and health. Solvents, monomers, softening agents, and biocides are only some of the components of these products that present the potential for serious ecological and toxicological risks during their production, manufacture, application, use, and ultimate disposal. Now there are alternatives.

'Green paint' is a term which can be loosely applied to many different products, and it can be very confusing. Here in Australia there are many companies making claims about their products. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) provides the following guidelines for evaluating the green credentials of a product:

GreenPainters does not endorse any product, thereby remaining completely objective about its recommendations. The information provided below should be evaluated by the specifier or the consumer in making a decision about what product is suitable for their application. Below we outline some of the issues involved to help the consumer or specifier choose the most eco-friendly, healthiest paint possible for their project:

Paints are a major source of indoor air pollution. The US Environmental Protection Agency puts paint on its top-five list of environmental hazards. The most commonly cited, but by no means only, pollutant in paints are

Conventional paints can make the air you breathe a chemical cocktail, even long after they have dried, as they continue to release petroleum based solvents, called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as they cure. It is estimated that each year in Australia more than 80,000 tonnes of VOCs are released into the atmosphere, with the paint industry contributing about 9% of this amount. According to the Australian Paint Approval Scheme (APAS), 'VOCs also contribute negatively to indoor air quality through emissions, both during and after curing, into the daily living environment.' CSIRO

CSIRO studies have shown that in established homes in Australia, 'indoor air still carries four times the total volatile organic toxics found in outside air.'

The cumulative VOC emissions from architectural painting operations exceed the combined emissions from a variety of industrial operations. VOCs from solvent and paint emissions contribute to harmful ozone formation and peroxyacetyl nitrate. VOCs also react in the atmosphere to create greenhouse gases.

The fact is, almost all paints, including some so-called 'Natural Paints', contain levels of VOCs, ranging from minute amounts of less than .1g/L to typical petroleum-oil-based paints which average 350g/L VOCs, or between 35-50% of the paints volume. Most water-based acrylics, which are considered less toxic, still contain 3-7% hydrocarbon solvent content. The VOC content of paint and the CO2 emitted during manufacture are key contributors to environmental impact - primarily in the form of air pollution (petrochemical smog) and to a lesser degree 'greenhouse gases'. Typical VOCs include glycols, toulene, hydrocarbons, xylene, and ammonia. Even citrus oil, a common ingredient in 'natural paints', is a VOC, although of course much less toxic than hydrocarbons.

It is suspected that VOCs may also trigger respiratory reactions, and contribute to 'Sick Building Syndrome'. It has been estimated that in recently renovated buildings, approximately 70 % of the indoor pollutants emanate from the paints used. Adverse health impacts such as Painter's Syndrome (brain and central nervous system damage), skin diseases, lung diseases and reproductive disorders have been linked to such modern paints.

GreenPainters advises specifiers and consumers to use paints which meet Green Building Council of Australia Green Star Rating System VOC Minimisation credits (IEQ-13). Consumers should be aware that many major paint manufacturers do not include tints, biocides or formaldehyde in their VOC calculations. Many colours require over a litre of tints, which are often high in VOC content, thereby rendering the paint over the GBCA benchmark. For a list of synthetic paints which comply with the VOC Standards, refer to our Low-VOC Synthetics page.

Just because a paint says it is "low VOC does not mean it does not give off hazardous vapors!^" (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Evaluation of low-VOC latex paints. Inside IAQ: EPA's Indoor Air Quality Research Update. EPA/600/N-98/003. Fall/Winter, 1998.) CSIRO studies have shown that occupants of new Australian homes may be exposed to up to 20 times the maximum allowable limits of indoor air toxics for up to ten weeks after completion. Further CSIRO measurements in 27 suburban Melbourne residences more than a year after construction identified 27 airborne toxics. These included the carcinogens benzene, formaldehyde and styrene, and a cocktail of methanol, ethanol, acetone, toulene, dichlorobenzene plus a number of less well-known toxics, most of which are found in paints. Mineral turpentine (used as a thinner and solvent) may contain up to 20% benzene, which is a confirmed carcinogen and mutagen in chronically exposed workers. Acrylic paints typically include a range of biocides to protect the latex, which can include arsenic disulphide, phenol, copper, formaldehyde, carbamates, permethrin and quaternary ammonium compounds. While biocide manufacturer’s claim that the formaldehyde in these products won’t come out, EPA data shows this is not the case. Some metal pigments used in paints (e.g. cadmium) are highly toxic and relatively rare resources. CSIRO estimates that indoor air pollution costs the Australian community in excess of $12 billion a year in illness and lost productivity.

Even when using paints that are classified as low VOC, immune suppressed individuals with conditions such as HIV/Aids, Chronic Fatigue and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) should avoid rooms with fresh paint (of any kind) and health test dry paint samples after minimum 24 hours prior to purchase or painting. Certified GreenPainters are well aware of issues relating to MCS sufferers, and can work closely with customers to determine the best outcome.

All paint listed on the GreenPainters web-site meet Australian standard AS1580. Durability can be measured using tests for abrasion resistance, UV resistance (for exterior paints), washability, fade resistance, colour retention, and resistance to saliva, mild acids and sweat. Plant-based paints are not recommended for commercial applications as they offer inferior abrasion resistance and scrubbability. However, plant and mineral based paints will not blister or peel, and offer higher resistance to mould growth.

The Australian Paint Approval Scheme is managed by the CSIRO. APAS tests and certifies paints and coatings to ensure they meet stringent performance specifications. APAS services some 90 Federal and State Government departments throughout the Commonwealth, as well as local government, who specify or use paint. Not all paints listed on the GreenPainters web-site have been APAS approved.

In 1997 the APAS began an initiative that aimed to reduce overall VOCs in locally manufactured paint. The APAS agreements (APAS Document D181) will further reduce VOC emissions from coatings in 2011. However some manufacturers have already made the necessary changes to their manufacturing process, and their products.

Just because a paint is classed as 'Low-VOC' does not mean it is environmentally preferable. It is important to consider the entire manufacturing process of a product, and its' environmental impact. At present, the only way this can be assured is by independant assessment by an eco-labeling body such as Good Environmental Choice Australia. The GECA program conducts a comprehensive life cycle based assessment of product compliance to voluntary environmental declaration standards. It is a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network.

GreenPainters is an Ecospecifier Industry Partner. Ecospecifier is based at the Griffith University Ecocentre in Brisbane. It assesses products using known Australian and International standards, codes, eco-labels, Life Cycle Assessment methodologies, and Australian Green Building Rating Schemes. www.ecospecifier.org

Paints or products which carry the Energy Star symbol have been independantly certified by the Energy Star program as significantly increasing the reflectance of solar radiation by the painted surface. The Energy Star Rating system was developed in 1992 by the US EPA to measure energy efficiency, and is now managed by in Australia by the Australian Greenhouse Office. Products which are Energy Star certified can aid a building to reflect unwanted solar energy by up to 50%, reduce its temperature and thereby lower the costs of cooling. Using these products may also help your project achieve Green Star credits.

Consumers and specifiers should also consider the carbon-emissions produced by manufacturers in the production of paint products. Paints are now available that have been independently certified carbon-neutral.

Another problem with synthetic paints is post-application wastage and disposal. The petrochemical paints that currently dominate the market are predominately derived from oil, a non-renewable resource. In most paints up to 20% of a tin by volume can be the pigment Titanium Dioxide, a product that can have a very high environmental impact load associated with it. Waste needs to be specially treated to avoid adverse environmental impacts.

The manufacture of petrochemical based paint is energy-intensive, and the production of of 1 tonne of paint can produce 10-30 tonnes of toxic waste, much of which is non-degradable (Edwards and Lawless, 2002; The Greenhouse Trust, 2004).

It has been estimated that conventional water-soluble gloss paints require dilution of 40 million to 1 to render their entry to the sewerage system harmless.

Plant and Mineral-based paints are made using naturally occurring ingredients, and therefore do not require high levels of processing. Many of the ingredients are made from renewable resources, such as linseed oil, and citrus oil, and therefore avoid contributing to greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the product. 'Natural' paints use plant-derived solvents and binders instead of synthetic ones, and usually have low VOC levels. It results in better health outcomes, and uses renewable resources for the most sustainable living.

Send mail to admin@greenpainters.com.au with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2008 Greenpainters

Send mail to admin@greenpainters.com.au with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 Greenpainters