Mostly advertising BS to justify the money the companies paid to get the 'green' label.

Agree---most brand name paints are already less VOC than even 5 years ago---and all brand name paints are non toxic when dry.

"I made this posting for those would like to be conscious consumers and inform themselves about these types of issues."

NO... you made the post to promote YOUR business, not to inform.

Be nice, western pa luann...I doubt Bella owns that website. What she posts is a valid concern of a lot of folks in here...you may not share that opinion, but like global warming, it's an important issue that can be argued over.

And the admittedly small amount of volatile compounds in low emission and regular paints is magnified by the amount of paint that is applied in a year an any given locale. Thus CA's figures and concern. Imagine if everyone used zero or even low emission paint.

I guess those of us on the west coast are a little ahead of the rest of the country with awareness of environmental issues. In WA, OR, and CA green building for home and commercial properties is quite popular. But maybe that's because we're so Munchy Crunchy Granola and weird out here :)

We used the Yolo line of zero emissions paints. Fantastic stuff, I actually repainted the hallway after all the subs finished their work, had all the windows closed, and went to bed right afterwards. Didn't smell a thing, and didn't get a headache from the fumes.

We also upgraded to a zero emissions carpet pad made from memory foam. Not that much more expensive than the petroleum product pad that everyone normally uses. The pad was down for several days before the carpet went in...didn't smell a thing. After the carpet went in (Gulistan), I had horrible headaches and irritated eyes for several weeks. It's a well-known fact that many building materials in a modern house off-gas very badly.

FYI...the Yolo paint from Rodda was not more expensive than an equivalent high quality regular paint from any of the other companies. And Rodda gives you a 20% discount when you show your AAA card, which brings it down even more.

She could have made her point without pushing a website (on the very day she registered, just as most spammers do!). You managed to do that just fine...

And I never stated an opinion, one way or the other.

She could have made her point without pushing a website (on the very day she registered, just as most spammers do!). You managed to do that just fine...

You're missing on all points. The first registered date is July, 2006, not January, 2007.

Perhaps you've been sniffing too much VOC paint?

You owe an apology.

Michael

Low VOC does not equal non toxic. VOC is a measure used to control photochemical smog not protect your health. The air quality board produces a list of chemicals they consider to be contributors to smog and call them VOCs. As long as the solvent is not on the list it's not a VOC. You can, in fact some companies do, arrive at a low VOC paint by substituting ammonia for propylene glycol ether. I'd read the MSDS before I talked up anybody's low VOC paint.

What's wrong with pushing a website? We're all pushing different brands of appliances in the appliance forum and cabinets in the kitchen forum.

Information is information...and you can take it or leave it. Discussion is what THS is all about, and we should all feel free to post something without the fear of everyone in here jumping down our throats.

Michael...thanks for your post. You're a good guy.

"You're missing on all points. The first registered date is July, 2006, not January, 2007.

Perhaps you've been sniffing too much VOC paint?

You owe an apology.

Michael"

Damn, you're rght. So sorry!

Nope, not too much sniffing. Just residual brain damage (seriously) from a car accident. When I have bad days, I mix up nouns (like months....) and improperly process numbers (like years).
Guess that was a bad spell...
Sorry again!

(Having a good day today!)

Jan9...you're completely right. And even between low emissions and zero emissions, there is a large difference in the amount of volatile compounds. Low emissions can still mean upwards of 5% volatile compounds by volume.

I've used both of Rodda's paints...the low emissions Horizon brand, and the zero emissions Yolo brand. With Horizon there was still quite a noticable smell, and with Yolo nothing at all unless you stuck your face down near the just-opened can. Even then, the smell was more like Elmer's glue rather than a noxious chemical (which means they probably substituted ammonia like you mentioned).

The zero emissions paints are difficult to work with. Not having any solvents affects the self-leveling and coverage abilities of the paint. Most contractors hate the zero emissions paints as they are too tempermental to work with efficiently. I found I had to be very careful with brush and roller technique to get an even coverage with no lap marks.

The low emissions paint went on like butter and leveled beautifully. But I'd rather deal with the zero emission paint if it was better for the environment. Once I figured out how to work with the paint, it was no big deal.

Luann...sorry to hear about your accident.

There are so many times fiction gets printed as fact. Like the news media, say it enough times and people believe it.

Not saying that all is fiction but, makes one wonder how one has survived over 60 years.......

Pew1...for me, it's a no brainer. Consider for example, the rapidly increasing rate of cancer in developed countries. Something has had to cause that, and the chances are great that it is environmental. I have 2 friends who live in the Tri-Cities, WA, near the Hanford nuclear reservation. Both of them came down with cancer of the perotid gland, near the salivary glands. It is so rare that only 5 cases have appeared since 1900 in WA State. We know now that some nuclear waste material did escape into the environment over the years in the Hanford area.

High heat sauteeing in a teflon pan will kill birds from the off-gassed fumes. We know how toxic Swedish finish and other poly's are. We know carpet pad of foam/petroleum products off-gas at a tremendous rate. And the majority of lung cancers are actually from environmental factors (smoking causes a small number of them...smoking causes more heart attacks than lung cancer).

And ADHD and autism are increasing in alarming numbers in young children in the US.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Makes you think something is out there.

If I can do my part to control my own environment in my own house, so much the better. We did green as much as possible, on a budget, and it didn't cost any more than if I used equivalent good to top quality products. If course, green is more expensive than the cheap stuff, which I wouldn't have used anyways.

"Something has had to cause that, and the chances are great that it is environmental. "

Or far more likely it goes with the increase in life expectancy of the people.
Even the National Cancer institute puts the rate of cancers caused by chemicals exposure at well below 20%.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. Makes you think something is out there."

Not at all. Makes me think that new 'conditions' are being 'discovered'.

I'm a person VERY sensitive to fumes, even good-smelling ones (perfumes), so I'm using a no-VOC paint for my first painting job in our newly finished basement. I'll be using Harmony from Sherwin Williams (just picked up primer today in that line). I appreciate the info someone had about the carpet pad....I'll be checking into it! Wish I could afford a "green" carpet, but I'm getting an air purifier (for MCS sufferers) for the basement since it'll have so much new stuff in it and low ventilation. After our second new house (this one is 8 yrs old), I developed problems with fumes....

Tracey

Hello again. I am glad to see this issue is being discussed.

western pa luann...I am not a spammer, nor do I own the websites I posted or, for that matter, any business that sells these products. I included the sites as a helpful reference point to others interested in exploring this issue.

I have been registered since July and have contributed to many forums here. My husband and I have been remodeling our house for over a year, doing most of the work ourselves, learning along the way. I enjoy sharing what we have learned (or our mistakes) with others. We happen to be interested in green building and trying to be conscious in our remodel of the health and environmental consequences of the materials we use...as far as our budget allows, that is. That being said, I am a little sad that I have to explain myself and defend a post that may be relevant and interesting to many readers out there.

I agree with brunosonio that discussion is what these forums are all about, and I would like to thank him for being supportive of my post.

My response to pew1's "There are so many times fiction gets printed as fact. Like the news media, say it enough times and people believe it." ...is: You mean like how Global Warming/Climate Change is fiction? You'd have a hard time telling that to those working in New England ski or snow plow industry this winter.

Bella

You did NOT have to explain yourself at all, but I guess you felt a need to.
I apologized for my posts AND explained my medical problem. I hoped that was good enough, but I guess it wasn't.

With all the "back & forth" on Global-Warming, I'm reminded of an old saying...
"If the Lie is big enough, many people will believe it..."
(remember the "War of the Worlds" radio show!)
I'm only dovetailing this statement with the media reporting statements previously mentioned.

NOTE: I'M NOT saying G/Warming is a LIE!!! I AM of the viewpoint, however, that the earth has had MANY large swings of climate change long b4 humans. I recently watched a repeat of a Discovery-Channel show about the "Little Ice-Age". The 1500's-1600's I believe. Some years had snow EVERY month of the year in Europe!! It coincided with a Sunspot-activity period called the "Monder-Minimum", which was a "lull" in the sunspot-activity cycle.

Just some thoughts of MINE :-)
Faron