FAQs

Should I be worried about VOCs? 
VOCs are not your friend.

Some VOCs are greenhouse gases and therefore contribute to global warming and others are just plain bad for your health. While a few VOCs occur naturally from cows and trees, many come from manufactured products such as paint thinners, paints and varnishes and dry cleaning solvents. These VOCs can contribute to human illnesses and have been determined to be a cause of ‘sick building syndrome’. The EPA has found concentrations of VOCs in indoor air to be 2 to 5 times greater than in outdoor air due to paint and other products.

 

What can VOCs and carcinogens do to me?

Carcinogens and VOC’s emitted by high solvent containing paints have been linked to a variety of health effects including eye, nose and throat irritation; dizziness; liver, kidney and central nervous system damage and even cancer.

 

What do the VOC’s in traditional paints do to the environment?

The Paint Quality Institute has estimated that the VOCs in traditional paints make up 10% of the ozone depleting substances in the US.

Some VOCs are greenhouse gases and therefore contribute to global warming and others are just plain bad for your healtWhile a few VOCs occur naturally from cows and trees, many come from manufactured products such as paint