As a result pregnant women should only use natural paints or low to zero voc paints and make sure that they are completely protected when painting.
Low voc paint fumes pregnancy.
Vocs are linked to respiratory illnesses and memory impairment says beres.
Scraping and sanding old paint should be completely avoided.
So if you re painting during pregnancy consider the following recommendations.
This type of paint gives off vapors called volatile organic compounds vocs that can cause headaches eye irritation nausea dizziness and fatigue.
Once we ve honed in on the perfect shade our main priority is getting it up on the walls as soon as possible.
There s are no standards that define what low means so the labels are arbitrary at best.
According to the u s.
Can exposure to paint fumes affect your unborn baby.
Water based paints or latex paints pose no increased reproductive risk because they have low volatility.
Safer for mommy to be one of the chores on the top of the to do list for a mommy to be is painting the nursery so it s important to know that low voc paint is definitely safer for pregnant women as well as children or anyone with a compromised immune system.
It s important to remember that when it says low it s only in comparison to some other paints.
Keep the windows open to avoid inhaling paint fumes.
Open windows and doors and take frequent breaks.
Paint is one of those products many of us don t think twice about except when it comes to color.
Choose a paint labeled low voc or zero voc these are usually latex paints that contain lower levels of solvents or volatile oil compounds even the zero voc products may still contain some solvents make sure you have good ventilation.
Pregnancy safe paint brands.
Generally speaking the risk associated with household paints is low although the risk of harm may be greater when working with paints that.
For this reason you should avoid using solvent based paints and stripping old paintwork while you re pregnant.
Don t eat or drink in the room where you re painting to avoid accidentally ingesting any paint.
However solvent based paints and old paintwork which may contain traces of lead may pose a greater risk.
Low voc paints have reduced amounts of volatile organic compounds meaning they don t off gas as much as traditional paints.
While a freshly painted room may seem harmless there are some chemicals in paint that can be toxic many of which are grouped into a category called volatile organic compounds vocs.
It is unlikely that a brief low dose exposure to paint fumes will cause any of the conditions that may be associated with occupational exposure throughout pregnancy.
Paint in a well ventilated space to minimize fume inhalation.
Food and drug administration exposure to lead paint increases the likelihood of lead poisoning and mental retardation.
