It's that time of year again! Summer is a great time to finally get to your home DIY projects. But while your room is getting an upgrade, the paint could be hurting your lungs.
Paint contains multiple toxins, the most well-known of which are volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs. VOCs are a list of many chemicals which are toxic to people’s health. Exposure to VOCs has both short term and long term effects.
Brief periods of exposure to paint fumes can cause the following:
- Loss of coordination
- Vomiting
- Burns to the skin and eyes
- Diarrhea
- Irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, lungs
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Memory impairment
- Lightheadedness
- Allergic skin reaction
- Tightness of the chest
- Influenza-like symptoms
- Fatigue
- Respiratory tract irritation
- Shortness of breath
In the long term, paint fumes can cause:
- Liver damage
- Kidney damage
- Central nervous system damage
- Certain types of cancer
- Asthma
- Allergic contact dermatitis
- “Painter’s syndrome” which is prolonged inhalation of paints and solvents resulting in brain damage, damage to the reproductive system, and kidney or liver damage
- Cancer
- Central nervous system dysfunction
To avoid these health complications, it is worthwhile to invest in either disposable or reusable respirators. Respirators filter out the harmful substances in the air, protecting yourself from the unsafe fumes and allowing you to breathe easy. For paint fume protection, first check if your paint is oil based or water based. Once you determine that, choose the respirator that protects from that specific paint fume. The Moldex 7000 Series Pre-Assembled Respirator for oil-based paint/pesticides, or the Moldex 7000 series pre-assembled respirator for oil-free paint/pesticides are both great options. You can also use any of the multi-gas/vapor respirators available on Gorvex.com for paint fume protection.
Stay safe!