Green Diva Style: Non-Toxic House Paint
By Green Diva Meg
We are moving Green Diva Headquarters (which also happens to be my home!) in two weeks. Very exciting stuff, if not exhausting! We started painting this week. We've been researching this for a couple of months. We started back when we did a Sleeping Naked is Green segment with Chris Murphy of Smart Little House, who talked to us about the difference between low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), zero-VOC, and non-toxic house paints.
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What we learned back then was that the VOCs that impact our health are not regulated - WHAT?!? Only the ones that are harmful to the ozone are regulated. There are a lot of other chemicals in house paint that are NOT researched or regulated. So, while the big paint companies are busy lowering if not removing some VOCs from their paints, there are a lot of other VOCs and hazardous compounds that have not been well researched or regulated. Many of these are suspected to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic, hormone disrupting, and can cause asthma and illness to humans and animals as well as generally bad for the environment. ICK!
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For this reason, my husband and I have chosen to go with Mythic Paint, which they call "zero-toxic." According to Chris Murphy, we can paint with the windows all shut and we won't smell it, and even a very chemically sensitive person can be in the room with no ill effects. Psyched to try it! I'll definitely report back in. So far, Chris is NOT exaggerating - the paint is benign on the nose and looks gorgeous on the walls!
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So, I got to chat with GD Lisa who is traveling and is in Austin, TX right now, and here's a brief video with more details on this topic as we play with paints and get ready to move out here in NJ!
Our very own Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D) from NJ is sponsoring a the Safe Chemicals Act to regulate not only new chemicals coming into the market, but existing ones that are suspected to be toxic and tend to be pervasive in a variety of products, including household paints. I will vote for Frank again! Please read up on the act and if you agree with its intentions, please contact your own senators to help gather support for the Safe Chemicals Act!
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