The fresh smell of a newly painted house......or toxic air?

I am an environmentalist at heart. I have been for sometime now, but it went into overdrive when my daughter was born 3 years ago. So it is a natural progression for me to become more involved in "green" real estate now that I am a Realtor.

In a few weeks, I will be listing a property in Alexandria, VA where the owner has made efforts to incorporate some green features (with a little bit of prodding on my part). There will probably be a series of blogs to follow on the "green" components of this house, but today's topic is VOCs in paint.

The property will be painted with a low-VOC paint, Sherwin Williams Pro-Green 200. At 50 g/L low VOC, it is better than most types of paints that you encounter when you visit a newly remodeled home. The EPA allows 250 g/L. This blog is about why you the buyer should care.

1) The EPA says that indoor air quality can be more seriously polluted than outdoor air and one of the causes is paint.

2) VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOC) are a traditional component of many oil based paints and even latex paints (and some of your household cleaners as well).

3) Exposure to VOCs can cause can cause the following symptoms:

conjunctival irritation

nose, throat discomfort

headache

allergic skin reaction

dyspnea

declines in serum cholinesterase levels

nausea, emesis

fatigue

dizziness

4) Prolonged exposure has been linked to kidney and liver disease and even cancer.

5) VOCs continue to be released well after the paint dries (I am talking years)

6) Zero-VOC paint will still have some level of VOCs but still at lower levels than traditional paints.

7) Small children and the elderly are the most susceptible to the negative effects of VOCs in the air.

I realize that as a buyer there are not a lot of homes that will use low-VOC or zero-VOC paints. The absolute best paints are non-toxic paints which are even harder to come by (this is the type of paint I use to paint my 3 yr old's furniture and toys--specifically milk paint). But you can choose to buy a home that has not been "freshly painted" and then paint it yourselves with the paint of your choice (you may even want to ask the seller for the credit).

As a buyer you should demand greener and healthier homes. Eventually sellers will comply.

My primary source for putting this blog together was http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/low_voc_paint_2.htm and the EPA website: www.epa.gov.