Paint It Green
Green building is a popular movement in our industry which aims to reduce the negative impacts a building has on the environment and its occupants. An important aspect of a green building is indoor air quality. Simple material choices can have a big impact on the health of the air and the people in a building.
The most common measurement of the quality of indoor air is the amount of volatile organic compounds. VOC’s are organic chemical compounds from building materials which vaporize into the atmosphere in a building and can be breathed in by humans. The EPA says VOC’s can cause “Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system.” If that doesn’t scare you they have also have found that some VOC’s cause certain types of cancer. Although not every building has the extreme conditions to cause these ailments, the building materials that conribute to VOCs are commonplace.
The good news is VOC’s are easy to eliminate in your building. Many manufacturers are now offering low or zero VOC finishes such as plaster, paint, stains, adhesives, rugs, carpets, tile, sheet flooring, laminates and hardwood. The simplest change you can make is the type of paint you use. Major paint brands now have an alternate line available that is low or zero VOC and many smaller brands specialize in zero VOC products. These paints look and work just like normal paints and have a similar cost, but they don’t bring in the problems that regular paint’s VOC’s add to your building. I used zero VOC paints in my own home and am glad to know our family is not inhaling extra contaminates every day. Next time your choosing finish materials, consider their VOC content and the health of your building’s occupants.
-James Carleton, LEED AP
More information:
EPA: volatile organic compounds
AMF Safecoat
Sherwin Williams Harmony
Benjamin Moore EcoSpec
Old Fashioned Milk Paints
American Clay Natural Plaster
Explore the green building section of our website at www.tjcaia.com/green
Please Note: The products and companies listed are for reference only are not expressly recommended by Thomas J. Carleton Architecture. Please inform us if you have questions about the value of a product or company represented to assist us in providing the best information possible.