[Greenbuilding] Big Green: "Green" Paint (and stains)

[Andrew Pace, CSI]

An MSDS only has to list the ingredients that make up more than 1% of the
volume or are not part of a proprietary blend.  Silica does need to be
listed, as it is carcinogenic.  Ammonia and acetate are exempt from being
classified, since they don¹t necessarily react in the atmosphere to create
low-level smog.  The others can be buried quite easily.

All I can say is, before choosing a paint brand, consider the source and the
historical use of their ³eco-friendly² materials.  Not all people who buy
green paint really care about global environmental issues.  On the flip
side, not all really care about the health of the building occupants,
either.  

Andrew Pace
http://www.degreeofgreen.com



On 5/29/08 12:33 PM, "Dean Sherwin" <costman at verizon.net> wrote:

> Andrew
> I was aware that VOC is not the only health criterion with paints;
> historically its the simplest one for "green" practitioners to use, & I guess
> air pollutants, more specifically smog-creating ones, were first out of the
> gate in published ratings.  Before choosing a paint I looked at the MSDA
> (Material Safety Data Sheets ), not that I am in any way equipped as an
> industrial chemist.  Are the ingredients that are of concern including  the
> ones you mentioned, going to be listed there?   any easy way we can make a
> judgement between different formulations of paint?
> 
> Dean Sherwin
>