Harmful ingredients in paint

I believe everyone has smelled the smell of paint. The smell of paint is very pungent. There are many harmful substances in paint, so you cannot live in a newly renovated house immediately. You need to ventilate the house for a long time to allow the harmful substances to evaporate completely before you can live in it. Most paints contain harmful substances such as formaldehyde, benzene and benzene homologues. So what are the harmful ingredients in paint?

1. VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)

VOC is the abbreviation of volatile organic compounds, which refers to organic substances in paint that do not form a paint film and eventually evaporate into the atmosphere. After volatile organic compounds evaporate into the air, they react with oxygen in the air to produce ozone. Low-altitude ozone is harmful to the atmospheric environment and human health.

2. TDI (toluene diisocyanate)

TDI is mainly found in paints during decoration and is derived from the synthesis of PU paint curing agents. Free TDI exceeding the standard can cause harm to the human body, mainly through sensitization and irritation, with symptoms such as eye pain, tearing, conjunctival congestion, cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath, asthma, red papules, maculopapular rash, and contact allergy.

3. Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a strong pungent odor. It is volatile and highly toxic. A 35% to 40% formaldehyde aqueous solution is called formalin. Formaldehyde is highly toxic.

4. Benzene, toluene and xylene

Benzene is a highly toxic substance, while toluene and xylene are low-toxic substances. Inhaling a certain amount of benzene, toluene and xylene can cause poisoning and even damage the hematopoietic and nervous systems.

5. Soluble heavy metals

Heavy metals refer to metals with a density greater than 4.5 g/cm3, such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, etc. Some resins, pigments or drying agents in paint may contain soluble heavy metals. Long-term exposure to heavy metals such as lead may cause mild neurasthenia syndrome and indigestion symptoms, while more severe cases may cause anemia and lead paralysis.