Everyone reaches a point where they would like to freshen up their house. This can include fixing up the porch, getting rid of faded paint on the walls or just painting the rooms a different color. One may also want to improve the garden, build a pool and deck or change the kitchen or bathroom. Nonetheless, before you consider painting, it’s important to understand how it might affect you and especially your small children’s health.
Risks of paint fume exposure usually are related to paints that are oil-based which mainly would be used on the outside. Thus, latex paints, producing a lesser amount of fumes can be recommended to use indoors.
However, paints that are oil-based and used on the outside tend to leak fumes back into your home which might affect the family with different health issues. Both of these paints must be applied in spaces that are ventilated properly to prevent complications.
About paint contents
Paints are normally produced with VOCs/volatile organic compounds. This can generate fumes that are toxic and it may have a dangerous effect on especially small children whose immune system is still weak and they would be extra susceptible to the fumes. Thus, it may be a good idea to let them stay someplace safe until the paint is properly dry.
The fumes that are released by paint in general, plus the VOCs, may trigger some airway reactive diseases, eye irritation, as well as having an effect on your digestive system. Fumes won’t only affect infants and small children, but also adults. This is especially true for people with a history of respiratory conditions or allergic coughing, as well as the elderly. It’s important to stay somewhere else during the period that your house is being painted or when you are painting it out.
The way VOCs may affect people
It’s a chemical compound that is actually very common. Sometimes it occurs naturally but it can also be produced by humans. Although organic may appear within the name, it’s not the same as something that is naturally organic. This might just be how a chemist would classify the product.
VOCs can seriously impact the quality of air within a home. It’s been found by studies, that the air indoor is affected about ten times more as air on the outside of a house or building.
In the case where VOCs come into contact with sunlight, it forms ozone, which is a major gas component related to pollution.
Health problems that can be caused by VOCs or Ozone
Headaches,
Symptoms of asthma and bad allergy reactions,
Coughing,
With the eyes, it may cause tearing, itchiness, redness, and irritation,
The biggest problem with VOCs and ozone compounds is that it may become intense within the home. It can disperse into the atmosphere on the outside of a house, but inside the home where your whole family spends nearly ninety percent of their time, the gases will stick around longer and may even get trapped inside.
Children and the effect of VOCs
The reason why children are especially more vulnerable to these gases is associated with the fact that their bodies are still developing and their small size. As such, they are much closer to the floor and they would naturally come into contact with these chemical gases on furniture, carpets and the floor.
Commonly, children like to stick their fingers in their mouths and eyes, with this action, they transfer all chemical residues they might pick up. Furthermore, children also breathe more air in every minute as what adults do.
In case you make direct contact with paint
When you do the painting yourself and you accidentally splash some paint around that ends up in the eyes, it may lead to severe irritation of your eye. It’s important to immediately wash the eyes out with water, spray it into the eye continuously for a couple minutes. After this get to the doctor in the shortest time possible.
When paint comes onto the skin directly, it may cause the skin to get cracking dry or also cause an irritation. Make sure you wash the skin properly after paintwork is done. If you notice any irritation or redness that does not subdue, it is best to consult your doctor.
Prevention
Follow some simple rules to prevent exposure to paint fumes that may be hazardous. While you paint a room, ensure that all windows and doors are open. Put a fan inside the window that faces outside as it will pull fumes that is toxic out rather than blowing it into other areas within the home.
The fan should stay running at least for 2 days even when the painting is done. This is in order to let it dry completely. When using oil-based paint outside, it’s important to ensure no openings or vents can blow this air back into the home. If you or the family experience any of the symptoms, you should consider vacating the house till the paint is dry and visit the doctor.