Seventy three percent of consumer paint brands from 12 countries in one study tested positive for lead higher than the U.S. standard of 600 parts per million (ppm) said Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India and MTNL Perfect Health Mela.
Paints can be a source of lead poisoning. Enamel paints have higher lead concentration. Painters who scrap paints may end up with acute lead poisoning with abdominal pain.
Some paints have Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that may cause asthma and cough. VOCs are organic chemical compounds that vaporize and enter the atmosphere. VOCs include aldehydes, ketones, and hydrocarbons and may be either organic compounds or mixtures of varied composition. Conventional household paints release VOCs in the air. VOCs contain many chemicals considered carcinogens.
‘Chuna’(limestone) used to whitewash their houses is safer to use than the high end paints available in the market.
Exposure to lead can lead to weakness in fingers, abnormal blood pressure, anaemia and severe damage to brain and kidneys. Dry hacking cough can occur due to exposure to toluene diisocyanate (TDI ), a well-known sensitizing agent, and one of the chemical components in the car paint sprays.
Many of the toxic effects of lead are reversible if identified early.
Asthmatics should avoid entering a freshly painted room. Instead of using paints that can be harmful opt for organic paint or environmentally friendly paint such as real milk paint or other natural paint made from natural ingredients.
Long-term exposure to household paints has led to the medical diagnosis of “Painter’s’ syndrome” to describe the effects that solvents used in synthetic paints can have on those exposed to them in the medium and longer terms.
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