Painting the Town... Green

Painting the Town... Green with Elementals

Elementals can be found at www.elementalsholisticliving.co.uk we offer a range of products and services designed to help us stay in balance with the natural world.

Choosing paint for your home is always problematic and along with all those arguments on colour we are now being asked to consider how it is affecting our health and that of our environment.

Over the last ten years, cases of asthma, sick building syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome have risen dramatically. Recent tests have shown that children are carrying more toxins in their bloodstreams than their parents and the quality of our environment is being blamed along with issues such as diet and lifestyle.

Every year, in excess of 300 million litres of paint are purchased in the UK and the production of one litre of paint produces at least double the amount of waste materials. If you also consider the number of half used paint cans we all have in storage, which are likely destined for landfill, the amount of waste produced by paint alone is phenomenal.

The main groups of household paint available are solvent synthetic, petro-chemical based paint, water borne synthetic petro-chemical based paint and plant or mineral based paints which also either solvent or water borne. The first two are more commonly available and although synthetic, water based products are still a more ‘eco-friendly' option, the manufacturing process requires a lot of energy and produces potentially harmful waste due to the requirement of more complex ingredients.

An average tin of paint is likely to be petro-chemical based and contain vinyl, acrylic, solvents and an array of binders, emulsifiers, hardeners, dryers, thickeners, surficants, anti-foaming agents, fungicides, etc. Synthetic solvent based paints also contain higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). which contribute to atmospheric pollution and ‘off-gas' into our interior environment long after application causing symptoms ranging from headaches, nausea and giddiness to skin irritations, asthma and anaemia.

So what do you do if you are concerned about your health and/or want to go green..... here are a few tips:

  • Look for products which disclose their ingredients.
  • Select products which consider manufacture, use and disposal. E.g. biodegradable, energy efficient, mineral and/or plant based products.
  • Check the label and ask the staff for more information on the contents and their effects on the environment and you - the more realisation of consumer interest that there is, the more chance there is for change
  • If you are an asthma sufferer, look for anti-static products which are vinyl free and which minimise solvents.
  • Try mixing or making your own paints - several good books are available on the subject.
  • Don't buy more than you need. If you do have surplus paint contact your local Re-Paint scheme - a charity who redistribute unwanted paint to other charities and to those on a low income.
  • Don't put unnecessary pressure on the water system - for water based products, clean majority of paint off your brushes onto newspaper before rinsing under the tap.