low voc, instead of no voc paint for nursery and kid's room - WWYD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17:34 again.

It is true that you have to be VERY careful of the"low-VOC" labels out there. However, low-VOC Ben Moore's Aura was an acceptable choice for us.

To 21:02, saying "I am fine and we have painted for years with oil-base" is an idiotic comment.
We are talking heightened long-term risk for cancer, particularly for the baby! You could develop cancer many years from now, partly caused by your increased exposure to toxic paint solvents. The baby's risk would be even graver, since exposure to carcinogens during infancy multiplies cancer risk. This is why we need more science education at the high school level.

Take a Xanax.

[Anonymous]

A low VOC Xanax

[Anonymous]

OP, you need to step away from the internet and relax a bit.

You will kill yourself with stress far quicker than you will kill yourself with paint voc, if you approach life the way you do with this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$400 dollars paint?

For Behr paint? How many rooms are you doing? No more than two gallons per room. I can't see how you got over $200 for the paint.

I can't say I'm surprised to see that the posts got snarky but really appreciate the reassuring ones. I get that not everyone frets about this stuff. I try not to go overboard with avoiding life due to risk, but it seems to me that when we can limit something fairly easily, we should. There are pretty clear cut studies linking the VOC's in paint to a host of health issues. Trust me, I've been trying to look for info that I find reassuring, and finding the opposite.

BTW, the rooms are big, the celings are very high, and we're doing ceilings as well, and the only thing that is the same color in all rooms is the trim. So absolutely yes, more than "two gallons" a room. But, still, you got me, I threw in the paintbrushes and tarp we replaced in my total as well, and maybe a random bottle of water. So sue me! It came close to $400.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:17:34 again.

It is true that you have to be VERY careful of the"low-VOC" labels out there. However, low-VOC Ben Moore's Aura was an acceptable choice for us.

To 21:02, saying "I am fine and we have painted for years with oil-base" is an idiotic comment.
We are talking heightened long-term risk for cancer, particularly for the baby! You could develop cancer many years from now, partly caused by your increased exposure to toxic paint solvents. The baby's risk would be even graver, since exposure to carcinogens during infancy multiplies cancer risk. This is why we need more science education at the high school level.

Not the poster you are responding to and I do actually agree that it's silly to make that comment when the effects could crop up years and years from now. I'm the poster who just stripped and painted my cabinets and I too researched it and spoke with my doctor first. It does seem that low VOC should be fine. Mind you I wore gloves and did most of my painting outside. But of course had to paint cabinet frames inside. I was amazed that there was absolutely no odor. None. And of course I do understand that does not mean it's not off-gassing to some degree. But you do seem to be very overwrought about this and seem to be over analyzing to a point of really causing yourself distress that is above and beyond. Unfortunately we cannot avoid every single chemical out there in the world. But it does sound like you are doing everything you can to avoid them. So by that alone you are already giving your child a great start.

You realize you are not talking to me, the OP here? I've only just come back to this thread. And FWIW, the whole reason that I even thought to ask my husband "wait, are you sure this is the no-voc stuff?" is because it stunk like normal paint stinks. For the record, Benjamin Moore's Aura is a much lower VOC paint than the Behr is because the tinting they use does not add VOC. As I mentioned, when you tint the paint, in most brands that adds significantly more VOCs - like 20x more. It's crazy and wasn't something I knew before today. But I don't get this bit about driving myself nuts or needing Xanax as the next few unkind posters suggest. I've hardly obsessed. I'm just weighing options. It's not money we can easily afford to waste. But I don't feel comfortable with using the level of VOCs that I think are present in that particular paint, in childrens' rooms and a nursery, had trouble figuring out exactly what the impact might be and wanted to balance my initial thoughts against those of other like-minded parents thought. In the meantime, you almost start of trying to be nice, and offering exactly the kind of balanced reply I was hoping for, but then you go on to say PP (who I think you confused with me) is overwrought and causing herself distress, etc, which comes across as rude. But anyway, we've made a decision, I've learned some things about paint, and I hope Fragers is back in business soon.

[Anonymous]

I think the reason people are giving you such a hard time is that you yourself said in your first sentence that you and DH discussed this paint for weeks. Discussed paint for weeks? And your additional posts have been very long, involved and very anxious. I looked up different kinds of paint when I painted and I actually found reassuring information. Life is going to be filled with lots of unavoidable toxins for your child. It sounds like you are doing the best to avoid what you can. But if you stress this much life is going to be hard.

[Anonymous]

Assuming you can't return the paint, eat the cost and buy the paint you feel safe with. It's 400 bucks. Not that much since you are so anxious about it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the reason people are giving you such a hard time is that you yourself said in your first sentence that you and DH discussed this paint for weeks. Discussed paint for weeks? And your additional posts have been very long, involved and very anxious. I looked up different kinds of paint when I painted and I actually found reassuring information. Life is going to be filled with lots of unavoidable toxins for your child. It sounds like you are doing the best to avoid what you can. But if you stress this much life is going to be hard.

Oh come on, PP, did I say we discussed the low VOC for weeks? Yes, we discussed all elements of the paint. Colors, gloss, amounts, etc. And we did spend some significant time on whether to get no or low VOC, with some clear discussions on it. You paint on impulse? Honestly, this drives me nutty about these boards. You come on with a problem and people make sweeping diagnoses about your anxiety levels and say things like "your life is going to be hard." That says way more about you and the way you think than me, honestly.

[Anonymous]

I doubt the high price preschool, you will no doubt send Larla to uses low VOC paint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I doubt the high price preschool, you will no doubt send Larla to uses low VOC paint.

LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the reason people are giving you such a hard time is that you yourself said in your first sentence that you and DH discussed this paint for weeks. Discussed paint for weeks? And your additional posts have been very long, involved and very anxious. I looked up different kinds of paint when I painted and I actually found reassuring information. Life is going to be filled with lots of unavoidable toxins for your child. It sounds like you are doing the best to avoid what you can. But if you stress this much life is going to be hard.

Oh come on, PP, did I say we discussed the low VOC for weeks? Yes, we discussed all elements of the paint. Colors, gloss, amounts, etc. And we did spend some significant time on whether to get no or low VOC, with some clear discussions on it. You paint on impulse? Honestly, this drives me nutty about these boards. You come on with a problem and people make sweeping diagnoses about your anxiety levels and say things like "your life is going to be hard." That says way more about you and the way you think than me, honestly.

OP read the very first sentence of your first post. Go ahead and read it....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the reason people are giving you such a hard time is that you yourself said in your first sentence that you and DH discussed this paint for weeks. Discussed paint for weeks? And your additional posts have been very long, involved and very anxious. I looked up different kinds of paint when I painted and I actually found reassuring information. Life is going to be filled with lots of unavoidable toxins for your child. It sounds like you are doing the best to avoid what you can. But if you stress this much life is going to be hard.

Oh come on, PP, did I say we discussed the low VOC for weeks? Yes, we discussed all elements of the paint. Colors, gloss, amounts, etc. And we did spend some significant time on whether to get no or low VOC, with some clear discussions on it. You paint on impulse? Honestly, this drives me nutty about these boards. You come on with a problem and people make sweeping diagnoses about your anxiety levels and say things like "your life is going to be hard." That says way more about you and the way you think than me, honestly.

Yes, life will be hard with a baby if you stress this hard. And you did indeed say you discussed it for weeks. And walking into a store asking for low/no VOC paint without tearing through every bit online info is hardly impulse or uninformed. I'm an interior designer an I am now goin to adopt the phrase "painting on impulse". Wouldn't want a client to paint on impulse. Could be dangerous

[Anonymous]

A bit of advice for you from a mom of now-middle-school kids who has similar concerns.

You can't eliminate all these concerns, so as you go, you have to just make the best decisions to reduce overall exposure. For example, can't afford or find all organic? Just pick the ones that have most pesticides and only get those organic. Can't eliminate all cell phone radiation? Just make sure no one sleeps with their cell phones near their heads. Etc. etc.

You can never reduce all exposure in our world -- PP was right, a newer car has the worst off-gassing of all. So just make the best decision at the time and be comforted that you are reducing all exposure. Remember, stress causes disease too and you want to be around and happy for a long time for your kids.

In this case, just use the paint and let your kids sleep in another room for a couple of weeks, leave windows open when you can with one of those window fans pulling air from inside to outside ... it will be fine.

[Anonymous]

OP, what brought out the snarky in me (although I didn't post) was how much energy you spent in your post describing your husband's "behavior". A simple:

We meant to buy no-VOC and bought low-VOC by mistake. It cost $400. If you were me, would you just use it, or replace it.

would have sufficed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$400 dollars paint?

For Behr paint? How many rooms are you doing? No more than two gallons per room. I can't see how you got over $200 for the paint.

Behr paint isn't very good. I think she said Benjamin Moore.