Health & Safety
Exposure to potentially harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) has long been an issue of substantial concern in the paint industry. Manufacturers have taken steps in recent years to reduce VOC content in their products.
Exposure to potentially harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) has long been an issue of substantial concern in the paint industry. Paint manufacturers have taken steps in recent years to reduce VOC content in their products. Still, much about the long-term effects of exposure to VOCs remains unknown.
That may soon change. The National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA), a trade association for paint manufacturers, has been working together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a computer model designed to teach us more about the possible effects of exposure to VOCs.
Financed by a $750,000 grant from the EPA, scientists at NPCA have devised the Wall Paint Exposure Model (WPEM), a computer program that measures the exposure levels of airborne components volatizing from wall paint into the breathing zone of painters, according to Skip Edwards of the NPCA.
“WPEM covers not only the painter, but it can also be used to determine the exposure to occupants of office buildings and homes,” Edwards said. “It can even determine exposure levels for subsequent occupants. We’re very excited about it.”
Labels on paint cans have long included information regarding the percentage of VOCs as well as generally accepted standards regarding permissible exposure levels. The WPEM, scheduled to be formally announced later this spring, will provide more information about specific applications, particularly indoor environments where exposure can be greater.
“Much of the discussion about VOCs has centered around exposure to the painter, both professional and do-it-yourselfer,” said Edwards. “Painters are exposed on a daily basis, but once painters have finished painting, they leave. Occupants are exposed for much longer periods of time. Until recently, we have known very little about the long-term effects of VOC exposure.”
The WPEM will be a free document that can be downloaded on the Web, Edwards said. “We’re looking forward to a very high use rate.”
PaintPRO will monitor the progress of the WPEM project.
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