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Natural paints avoid indoor air pollution and can have an unusual, attractive appearance.

Introductions

This page describes natural paints as a potential component of United States of America home construction.


A Brief History

Creating durable, beautiful paints out of natural ingredients is not a new phenomenon. For millenia, people have been using the materials around them to create paints to color their worlds. Examples of natural paints can be found in the earliest cave drawings. They can be found in the world's most prestigious museums. And they can be found in the average home.


Over time, synthetic, toxic and energy-intensive materials were added to the paints that people use in their homes. These materials weren't added specifically to cause harm, but that didn't lessen their harmful effects. Some of these materials include synthetic dyes to increase color choices, additives to combat mold, and non-water-based binders such as petroleum products and heavy metals which were designed to withstand high use areas like kitchens.[1] A notable expample is the lead-based paints that were once popular, but have now been linked to serious health risks.


But interest in natural paints has recently resurfaced in the face of growing concern for our environment, bringing people back to the techniques and materials that have stood the test of time. Still, it is important to understand that "natural" doesn't automatically mean "non-toxic" or "safe." Please use the information on this page to help inform your decisions about which natural paints are best for you and your home.


Below are examples of natural paints in action: beautiful, durable, and eco-groovy.


Natural Paint Basics

Paint generally has three main ingredients or parts.

  • The first part is the pigment, which is responsible for the color of the paint.[10]
  • The second part is the solvent. The solvent keeps the paint in liquid form and evaporates off as the paint dries.[11] Solvent can also be used during the painting process to clean paint spills and correct mistakes.[12]
  • The third part of paint is the binder, which, as its name suggests, binds the paint together. This is the main body of paint.[13]
  • A fourth, optional component of paint is a filler. Fillers can be used to manipulate the texture and consistency of paint, and to reinforce the binder.[14]


See also: Natural paint basics

Reasons for product

VOCs/Indoor Air Quality

  • Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, can cause physical irritation and/or damage including irritation of eyes, nose and throat; headaches; loss of coordination; nausea; liver, kidney and central nervous system damage; and some are carcinogenic and can cause cancer in animals and humans.[15]
  • Common organic pollutants (including VOCs)have been found in higher concentrations within the home than outside. [16]
  • Paints labeled "no-VOC" and "zero-VOC" can still legally contain up to 5g/L of VOCs.[17]
  • Modern "lead-free" paints can still have as much as 0.06% lead which scientists fear could be harmful to small children, even at low levels. [18]

Waste

  • By volume, household paints account for a large portion of household hazardous waste in US homes.[19]
  • Household latex paint, oil-based paint and paint thinner are considered "hazardous waste" by the EPA. [20]
  • Although considered less detrimental to health and the environment than oil-based paints, latex paint contains hazardous ingredients such as acrylics, vinyls and epoxies.[21]
  • In California specifically, latex paint must be disposed of in a Class I hazardous waste landfill. [22]
  • Oil-based paints commonly containt petrochemical products as a solvent.[23]
  • Until 1990, mercury was used as an ingredient in oil-based and latex household paints. Leftover oil-based and latex household paints from before then may contain mercury, and oil-based paints that are several years old may also contain lead.[24]
  • In the UK, the government also classifies household paint as "hazardous waste." [25]
  • Because synthetic household paints contain hazardous ingredients, they cannot be thrown into a regular garbage can. Depending on the type of paint, the disposal process may include tedious drying-out processes, finding a recycling center that accepts paint or locating hazardous waste collection programs. [26]
  • People with unused or leftover household paints that can be classified as hazardous waste are encouraged to donate, return or swap paint to reduce waste.[27]
  • Even in production, it is estimated that for every 1000 kilograms of synthetic paint produced, 10,000 kilograms of waste are created. For specialty paints, this can be as high as 30,000 kilograms of waste.[28]
  • Titanium dioxide is a key ingredient in synthetic paints, and must be mined and processed in environmentally damaging ways.[29]

Impacts

DESCRIBE THE IMPACTS OF THIS PRODUCT.

Reduction or elimination of VOCs

Compostable

advantages / disadvantages?

Product and/or DIY instructions

Types of Natural Paints

See also: Natural paint basics

Recipies

Curdled milk paint recipe

Flour paint recipe

Examples of Manufactured Natural Paints

See also

References

  1. This information according to http://greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/selecting-green-paint
  2. This information according to http://www.naturalpigments.com/education/article.asp?ArticleID=19
  3. This information according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_tempera
  4. This information according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_tempera
  5. This information according to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colin_Campbell_Cooper_-_Flatiron_Building.JPG
  6. This image from http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/100761143_226e540b49.jpg
  7. This information according to http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/
  8. This information according to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:File.Nirmal_Painting.jpeg
  9. This information according to http://www.appropedia.org/CCAT_natural_paint_project
  10. This information is according to http://www.appropedia.org/Natural_paint_basics
  11. This information according to http://greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/selecting-green-paint
  12. This information is according to http://www.appropedia.org/Natural_paint_basics
  13. This information is according to http://www.appropedia.org/Natural_paint_basics
  14. This information according to http://www.appropedia.org/Natural_paint_basics
  15. This information is according to http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
  16. This information is according to http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
  17. This information according to http://greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/selecting-green-paint
  18. This information is according to http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:jBfBNYQr_8oJ:www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/case/paint.pdf+GS-11+paints,+natural+paint,+site:.gov&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjFBOhhK1Sptv0bAyGgQeaCvIEcOGTC8Z1e4CKuNd0Cbj4prqlHkI3BfwdDmf5WVe4kXNKIYHeIe9fqOnlGp-NQ2CyMI8HmXV8ymcHBAEIBSxIy9OyIPodpkZvrckQCWzOK5PjO&sig=AHIEtbRz_RRLt3e1Q9b1HHOKy2guyJx_zg
  19. This information according to http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:6SycTLXYP5gJ:www.epa.ohio.gov/LinkClick.aspx%3Ffileticket%3DTV%252FZRe4a3Es%253D%26tabid%3D2646+how+to+dispose+of+household+paint,+US,+site:gov&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShhfKKTkboaROlw8h4oN28UUEe7xYSFpmd8o7oEEHJwGMUIrZzOE4R6yhiA5iO-9bA0kjy67nyFj5zkMrzy1Cpwk3bLMkr0itXhptbNIKLNtsa9M-Gk36LJv04OKa6dWVLFQ5dR&sig=AHIEtbQBCQsXOYMFF9YH9zayQ8y117P98A
  20. This information according to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/disphhw.htm
  21. This information according to http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/p2au/pps/hhwp/paint/latex.htm
  22. This information according to http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/condemo/paint/
  23. This information according to http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/condemo/paint/
  24. This information according to http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:6SycTLXYP5gJ:www.epa.ohio.gov/LinkClick.aspx%3Ffileticket%3DTV%252FZRe4a3Es%253D%26tabid%3D2646+how+to+dispose+of+household+paint,+US,+site:gov&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShhfKKTkboaROlw8h4oN28UUEe7xYSFpmd8o7oEEHJwGMUIrZzOE4R6yhiA5iO-9bA0kjy67nyFj5zkMrzy1Cpwk3bLMkr0itXhptbNIKLNtsa9M-Gk36LJv04OKa6dWVLFQ5dR&sig=AHIEtbQBCQsXOYMFF9YH9zayQ8y117P98A
  25. This information according to http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/home/268680/natural_house_paintsgood_enough_to_eat.html
  26. This information according to http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/p2au/pps/hhwp/paint/latex.htm
  27. This information according to http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:6SycTLXYP5gJ:www.epa.ohio.gov/LinkClick.aspx%3Ffileticket%3DTV%252FZRe4a3Es%253D%26tabid%3D2646+how+to+dispose+of+household+paint,+US,+site:gov&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShhfKKTkboaROlw8h4oN28UUEe7xYSFpmd8o7oEEHJwGMUIrZzOE4R6yhiA5iO-9bA0kjy67nyFj5zkMrzy1Cpwk3bLMkr0itXhptbNIKLNtsa9M-Gk36LJv04OKa6dWVLFQ5dR&sig=AHIEtbQBCQsXOYMFF9YH9zayQ8y117P98A
  28. This information according to http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/home/268680/natural_house_paintsgood_enough_to_eat.html
  29. This information according to http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/home/268680/natural_house_paintsgood_enough_to_eat.html
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