Anyone who's ever painted a room knows the symptoms first-hand. First off, the "fresh paint" smell overpowers your senses. Watery eyes, dizziness, nausea—they're all common reactions. If you have certain allergies, it can be even worse, triggering a variety of respiratory ailments.

So, what's in the paint that causes all of this? The culprits in this case are called volatile organic compounds —or VOCs. VOCs, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene, are added to the noxious brew to help paint dry and cure faster. As VOCs evaporate, they give off smog-producing pollutants, as well as that unmistakable "new paint" smell.

A KINDER, GENTLER PAINT
Paint manufacturers have searched for ways to blend a better paint without VOCs. Until recently, their efforts resulted in paints that just didn't cover well and couldn't hold up to scrubbing and cleaning.

ACCORDING TO THE EPA, the air in your home is three times more polluted than outdoor air. Not only that, but it's considered one of the top five leading health risks in the U.S. VOCs in paints, varnishes, and solvents are leading contributors to this problem. In fact, these compounds can continue to release low-level toxic emissions into the air for years after they're applied.

Practically all of the major paint companies nowadays offer a line of zero- or low-VOC paints. These paints are not only durable and cost-competitive, but they're also less harmful to people and the environment. Increasingly, as consumers become more and more conscious of "going green," these paints are filling an important environmental need.

"More of our customers are requesting low-VOC paints," says Jeff Chasen, president of N. Chasen & Son, a local painting contracting firm. "Especially if people have allergies, they're looking for something they feel will be healthier for them."

PAINT BY NUMBERS
There are three categories of non-toxic or low-toxic paints: natural paints, zero-VOC, and low-VOC. A general guideline to use when determining the VOCs in paint is the number of grams per liter it contains. The lower the number, the better it is for the environment.

Natural paints are exactly what they say they are—made from totally natural ingredients such as water, plant oils and resins, plant dyes, natural minerals, and so forth. They have absolutely no VOCs.

Just like zero-VOC, low-VOC paints are water-based rather than petroleum-based. They contain very low levels of heavy metals and formaldehyde. The amounts of VOC levels vary from product to product. To make it easy on yourself, look for the Green Seal certification on the can. Green Seal is an independent non-profit organization that classifies and certifies low-VOC paints and other environmentally responsible products.

Green Seal certifies interior flat paints that contain up to 50 grams of VOCs per liter of paint and interior non-flat paints that contain up to 150 grams of VOCs per liter of paint.

"Demand for zero and low-VOC is going to take off big-time in the future," says Darrell Campbell, director of marketing for Pleasants Hardware. "Consumers are going to demand it. In fact, we've gotten a number of calls in recent weeks asking about it."

IT'S EASIER THAN EVER TO BE GREEN
Green is a great way to go with paint. Now, you no longer have to put up with unhealthy fumes. Being environmentally friendly is as easy as looking at the label.