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Paint

Shopping Tips

To find the VOC content of a paint, check the back of the paint can. Also look at the manufacturer's material safety data sheet (MSDS), which most manufacturers provide on their websites. The MSDS contains detailed information about the ingredients found in the paint, as well as its VOC levels.

Safe Use Tips

1. Always read all labels before starting a paint job.

2. When painting indoors, make sure to wear a respirator and open all windows to let out the fumes. It takes most paints at least six weeks to fully dry and offgas. House plants, such as spider plants, peace lilies, palms and rubber plants, can help absorb odors given off by paints by converting VOCs to oxygen.

3. Pregnant women and people with allergies or asthma should not paint and should stay out of the area until after the paint has dried. It is advisable to wait at least 48 hours before inhabiting a freshly painted room.

4. Keep all paint products in their original containers and do not leave them open when not in use. Vapors from solvent-based paint can build up in just a matter of seconds, creating not only an unhealthy environment, but a fire hazard as well. Make sure to extinguish pilot lights since most solvents are highly flammable.

5. If you have paint manufactured before 1990 and want to use it, call the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network at 800-858-7378 to find out whether your brand contains phenylmercury, a now-banned neurotoxin that was used in latex paint until 1990. If it does, don't use it; instead, dispose of it according to hazardous waste regulations in your community.

6. If sanding or removing paint (only after the area has been tested for lead and is lead-free), wear a dust mask or respirator and keep the area well ventilated since this process generates crystalline silica dust (also known as quartz or cristobalite). Crystalline silica is carcinogenic when inhaled.

Safe Storage and Disposal Tips

Only buy the amount of paint you'll need to complete a project. If that's not possible, store it safely or dispose of it according to your local municipal regulations. You should never discard alkyd-based paint with your normal trash. Instead, contact your local hazardous waste department for special paint collection programs in your community.

1. Alkyd-based paint lasts up to 15 years and latex paint up to 10 years (if it has not been repeatedly frozen and thawed). As a general rule, if paint will mix when you stir it, it is probably usable.

2. Store paint in its original container by covering the opening with plastic wrap and making sure the lid fits tightly. Storing the paint can upside down will create a tight seal around the lid, keeping it fresh until you need it again.

3. The best way to dispose of paint is to use it. If you can not, try donating to or exchanging it with someone who can.

4. Never pour unused paint down the drain.

5. If your municipality doesn't consider latex paint "household hazardous waste" that needs special disposal, here's a safer disposal tip: Pour leftover paint onto a sheet of cardbard. Let it dry--away from children and pets--and throw the dried paint away with your regular trash; recycle the empty can.

6. If you live in California, Washington or Minnesota, your state may require special disposal considerations for latex-based paints, so be sure to check with your local sanitation department.

Detecting and Removing Lead Paint

According to The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about 38 million (40 percent) U.S homes built before 1978 contain lead paint. If your home falls in this category, have an EPA-certified lab near you test it for lead (call the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD or visit www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/nlic.htm for a lab near you). If lead is found but the paint is not chipping or peeling and you do not plan to repaint the area, you do not need to take any action. However, if the paint is not intact or is found in areas with high friction, such as door jambs or window frames, have a certified lead removal specialist strip off the lead paint - never attempt to remove it yourself.

If you want to renovate an area where lead paint is found, you must also have a certified lead specialist remove it before putting on a new coat of paint. To find a contractor in your area, call the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Lead Listing's office at 202/535-2627or visit them on the web at www.leadlisting.org. Your family should temporarily move, if at all possible, until the lead paint is removed.