The primary VOC
(volatile organic compound) used in SafeCoat paint is propylene glycol
(or in the case of clear coatings, a compound from the same family of dipropylene glycol).
This ingredient is an excellent example of how not all VOC’s are bad, and how it is
misleading to talk about VOC’s as being negative without knowing the specific VOC under discussion.
In general, a particular VOC would
be considered “bad” either because it causes a reaction with another chemical in the atmosphere to create compounds
which cause ozone pollution, or the VOC is toxic in and of itself (such as ethylene
glycol, which is the ingredient typically used in anti-freeze and in many paints,
and is very toxic). Propylene glycol, on the other hand, has none of these effects.
Propylene glycol is used in food
products, has very, very slow evaporation, and is very low toxicity. It is generally very slow to react
with other compounds – so slow that many scientists consider it non-reactive, and in fact the government is
currently studying whether it should even be considered a VOC. Current scientific thinking is
that its effect on ozone creation is negligible.
The whole VOC issue tends to be driven by government regulation, which gives no consideration to toxicity
issues. Thus the zero VOC products being introduced as “environmental”
by all the major paint companies, in fact contain some highly toxic ingredients..
Open a can of any such product and a highly ammoniacal smell is clearly apparent (as it is during application).
Ammonia is highly irritating to many people, particularly chemically sensitive individuals.
There are significant quantities of these ingredients in the zero VOC products, because they work
well as coalescing agents. Ammonia is not regulated as a VOC
in the United States, but it is in Europe, and accordingly they are free to highly buffer
their zero VOC products.
In addition the zero VOC products produced
by the large paint companies include many other toxic or hazardous ingredients because the
focus is not on human health, but rather on eliminating smog formation. Thus they contain formaldehyde,
crystalline silica (a known carcinogen), masking agents and other materials that can not be tolerated by
chemically sensitive individuals (and which therefore are not likely to be of benefit to individuals who
have not yet become chemically sensitive. Because such compounds are not generally detectable
by EPA test 24, which is used to measure VOC (and which is considered by many in the industry to be flawed
and easily manipulated), they can still claim that the products are zero VOC, even though formaldehyde,
for example, is a VOC. Moreover there is a growing scientific consensus that there
is no safe level of formaldehyde.
