Health, Taken Seriously » VOC

Buying a hybrid vehicle

Sophia — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:11:03 +0000

In about a month, we will be a family of five. We have struggled for a long time about what this means for us with regards to vehicles. We’ve always prefered smaller cars and were not looking forward to possibly needing a minivan or SUV. Additionally, we’d been hoping for a long time that our next car would be a Prius, which would probably not the best vehicle for a family with three kids.

Last weekend, we finally decided to purchase a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The mid-size SUV has a third row of seats and thanks to the hybrid engine, gets about 30 mpg. This is actually better mileage than our previous 4WD sedan got, especially in the city. Buying the hybrid version added about 8k to the price of the car, but gives us about 10 more mpg (at least when driving around town). With an 18-gallon tank, that means we get an extra 150-200 miles per tank than non-hybrid versions. When I do the math, I don’t think we’ll ever save enough money in fuel costs to make up for the cost of the hybrid, but that’s okay with me. I love driving it, knowing I’m having a smaller impact on the environment. And the conversations I’ve had with my 5-year old about hybrids and where gasoline comes from and why it’s not good for the earth have been priceless.

I was really hoping that our next car would be used, because then all the off-gassing of VOC’s from the interior of the car would have already occured. But it’s nearly impossible to buy used hybrid Highlanders. So we ended up with a new one and yes, the inside stinks. Some fondly refer to this as the “new car smell” but to me, it’s my daily dose of VOC’s–not exactly what I want to be exposing my unborn child to. To manage this, I leave all the windows down overnight (and it’s amazing how the entire garage then smells of new car–good thing our garage is detached!), and we try to leave the moonroof or windows open when driving. It seems to help. I wonder how many months it will take until the strong smell is gone!

Summer air quality

Sophia — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:20:46 +0000

I went to a presentation last night on summer air quality in my city. Apparently, we have failed federal air standards for the past three years due to our high amounts of ozone (carbon monoxide, lead, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants were in compliance). Ozone is produced when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mix with sunlight. Since sunlight is a crucial ingredient in ozone, most is produced during the summer, and most of that is during peak sun hours. People that spend time outside during these hours are exposed to more pollution. This may be contributing to the high rates of asthma we have around here. I was especially concerned as we frequently exercise outdoors, walking, running, and biking when the sun is out. And since my children breath 50% more air per pound of body weight than I do, I’m worried about their health.

Half of the hydrocarbons that contribute to ozone come from the actions of individuals. Here are some tips about how to reduce ozone pollution:

Drive less. Drive more slowly.
Refuel your car early in the morning or after 6pm. Make sure the gas cap is tightened properly.
Conserve energy in your home by setting your thermostat to 76-78 degrees, drying clothes outside, using appliances less, turning off lights, running dishwasher/washing machine when full, etc.
Replace your gas powered mower with an electric one. Make sure to mow early in the morning or in the evening.
Apply paint with rollers and brushes instead of sprayers to save paint and cut down on fumes. Try to buy a low-VOC paint.
Consider staining your deck in the spring or fall instead of summer.

Check out this map of the U.S. to see current air quality. You may also be able to find information in your local area about air quality. I was able to sign up for daily emails to alert me when air quality is poor. From now on, I will try to reduce my family’s outdoor activities on those days.

Zero VOC paint

Sophia — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:31:17 +0000

We just tried our first zero VOC paint. The paint base has no VOCs and the colorant is also free of VOCs. There aren’t many paints on the market that use a no-VOC colorant so I was really excited to try it. I thought the paint was great. It covered well and I was happy with its performance. It does have a bit of an odor but it doesn’t smell like usual paint chemicals. I was happy enough with it that I’m comfortable recommending it, Natura from Benjamin Moore, on this site. One of the greatest things about this paint, unlike other truly zero VOC paints, is that you can tint it to any color Benjamin Moore offers.

Low VOC paint

Sophia — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:50:02 +0000

I ran into a neighbor at the local pub over the weekend and mentioned that we had been painting over the weekend. She said she was going to paint soon too and we started talking about it. I mentioned that the low-VOC paints we had used were on sale until the end of the month, to which she responded “low VOC??”

I can’t believe that there are still people out there who have never heard of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). I don’t really expect the average person to have a strong enough chemistry background to understand that a volatile organic compound is anything containing carbon that is under high enough vapor pressure that it vaporizes into the air we breath. But I am surprised that the average consumer is not very educated and that many people are making poor decisions for their health and the environment not because it’s cost effective or easier but rather out of sheer ignorance. So I guess that’s where my blog comes in…

Painting your home seems like such a good idea–for less than $50, you can completely transform a room. But conventional paints can contain thousands of chemicals and in addition to that nice color you like, they can also have benzene, toluene, vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, ethyl, mercury, cadmium, chromium, etc. All of these chemicals vaporize into the air of the room you paint and are therefore VOCs. The EPA lists the following health effects that VOCs cause: eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system, and cancer in animals (some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans). VOCs also produce ozone, which causes air pollution and is linked to a whole host of human health issues like breathing problems and headaches, not to mention the effects on plants and our environment. Some VOCs, such as formaldehyde and benzene, are highly toxic and known carcinogens. Some VOCs in paints are neurotoxins, such as toluene. That’s a lot of risks to take for a little bit of color!

Fortunately, paint manufacturers are now making low VOC paints. While the federal government has limited the VOC content of latex paints to 250 g/L, a green seal certified paint must have less than 50 g/L. Here is a list of paints that are certified by Green Seal. (In general, but not always, most manufacturers claiming their paints are low-VOC will have less than 50 g/L, even if not certified by Green Seal.) There are also many other low-VOC paints not on that list, such as Duration from Sherwin Williams, and even the paint I saw in Restoration Hardware, while not advertised as low-VOC, had less than 50 g/L. There are even no-VOC paints, such as FreshAire sold at Home Depot and Harmony from Sherwin Williams. It is important to read the label for yourself to find out the VOC content though, as store clerks may be misinformed or paint manufacturers may be misleading (we all know that “natural” has a whole hosts of meanings when it comes to food and personal care products. In the same way low-VOC can be more of a marketing term than an actual statement of fact.) It is important for me to note that the VOC-content of paint is the paint itself and not the pigment that is later added. Pigment also contains VOCs, with darker colors containing more. According to Green Seal, some initial data indicate that paint pigment can add anywhere from 8 to 70 grams of VOCs. Clearly this is significant, as a no VOC paint can potentially have 70 g/L after colorant is added.

The most important thing to do when painting, in addition to choosing a low-VOC paint, is to ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. Open all your windows! And keep them open as long as possible, even after the paint has dried. According to Green Seal, paint emissions can continue for quite some time after paint is applied. In fact, one 1999 study found that less than 50% of VOCs in applied latex paint are emitted in the first year. So paint when the weather is warm, keep your windows open as much as possible, and keep doing that for as long as possible. Since paint is not the only source of VOCs in your home, it’s a good idea to open your windows as much as you can year round, now just after you paint.

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Welcome!

Sophia — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:12:18 +0000

Welcome to my new blog. I am a mother to a two year old boy with another on the way. I take my health, and that of my family, very seriously. This blog is my attempt to share some of the information I’ve researched over the years with others. Hope you find the articles and reviews helpful. Check back soon for more…