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Interior air pollution during redecoration

As a demanding, health-conscious individual who cares about your living environment, you probably wonder how air pollution resulting from redecoration might affect your health. Each time you repaint your home, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can cause discomfort are released. People who are chronically exposed to VOCs for long periods can even suffer lasting damage to their health. By following the simple preventative measures outlined below, you will be able to improve indoor air quality during redecoration and protect yourself and your loved ones against VOCs' potentially harmful impact on your health.

How are VOCs released?

The major causes of indoor pollution during redecoration include fine particles caused by grinding and polishing and VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene commonly found in paints, thinners, bindings and cleansers.

The higher a paint's solvent content, the greater the concentration of VOCs that are likely to be released. This is especially true of solvent-borne paints and other paints that need to be diluted with solvents before application.

VOCs' harmful impact on your health

Exposure to highly concentrated VOCs causes irritation and discomfort for those suffering from allergies. Typical symptoms include a runny nose, red, watery eyes, angina, fainting, headaches, nausea, and even rashes. If exposed to VOCs for prolonged periods, people can become addicted and suffer serious lasting damage to their central nervous systems.

Improving indoor air quality during redecoration

Before Redecoration:

Be sure and choose low-VOC, water-borne paints such as ICI emulsion paints which have a much lower VOC content than recommended by the Hong Kong Government. For your added peace of mind, ICI has established a Policy of Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE) that ensures its paints comply with stringent safety and environmental friendly standards.

ICI's revolutionary new Dulux Lifemaster paint is the safest paint among the few in the market. Virtually free from annoying paint odours, it is ideal for the painting areas that have to be used immediately after redecoration. ICI Dulux Lifemaster paint is no wonder a popular choice for the new generation users.
Calculate how much paint you will need in order to avoid unnecessary wastage.
Read the product details on the paint drum carefully and follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure the quality and safety of the product is not affected.


	How can I tell if the paint is "environmental friendly"? The easiest way is to refer to the list of ingredients and VOC level indication on the paint drum's label. The new VOC Regulation passed by the Hong Kong Government in April, 2007, requires that all paint manufacturers whose products have VOC content higher than the regulated level must highlight the fact on their paint drums' labels. Ultimately, the existence of such a label is critical in identifying an environmental friendly paint. Nowadays, both synthetic and natural environmental friendly paints are commercially available. Synthetic environmental friendly paints are oil resin-based and release lower levels of VOCs because they contain fewer organic solvents, while natural environmental friendly paints are made from organic ingredients like botanics, soil or milk. Environmental friendly paints generally have a lower level of preservatives and should be used within a short period of time after their seal has been broken. While traditional paints normally expire in 3 to 5 years, the expiry time for environmental friendly paints is usually between 1 and 3 years.

During Redecoration:

Avoid painting in enclosed spaces or poorly ventilated rooms. Ensure a plentiful flow of fresh air.
Check and replace air conditioner filters frequently in order to remove dust caused by the redecoration.
Use screens or plastic sheeting to seal off dusty areas where sanding, cutting, drilling are taking place.
Reduce dust by moistening applying materials and surfaces before sanding, cutting or drilling.

After Redecoration:

Once you finish redecorating a room, thoroughly clean up the area, and open all doors and windows in order to dry the freshly applied paint and flush out harmful VOCs and bad paint smells.
Carefully seal and store or dispose of any leftover paints.

Reference:
http://www.greencouncil.org/eng/publication/articles_detail.asp?id=318
Choice Magazine Issue 353, 2006-3-15

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