Whether using airy pastels or bold primaries, a baby’s room is a great place to show the joy of color. Years ago when my first child was born, paint was paint, and it was pretty toxic. There was no other option but to open the windows wide and bear the fumes as best we could. Today, we have knowledge and options that give us much more control over the healthiness of the air we breathe inside our home. When buying paint, we can choose to go green.
Checking For Lead
Environmentally green paints are free of many elements that were previously standard in the industry. For example, rooms painted before 1978 may be coated with lead-based paints. The EPA says that in most cases, lead-based paint that is in good condition is not dangerous. But deteriorating lead-based paint that is peeling, cracking, chalking, or chipping is an immediate health hazard to you, your baby, and the planet.
Lead gets into the air and the human body primarily through dust particles. The chips, especially those around door jams and window sills, will turn into dust from the friction of movement and then get inhaled from the air. The dust also falls to the floor, and as the baby begins to creep around at six months or so, she gets microscopic dust particles on her hands, which then go into her mouth. This dust can also be found in the soil outside the windows and doors.
Step one in your decorating plan: if there is deteriorating lead-based paint in your home, you should attend to it before doing anything else. Fortunately, there are several ways to protect your child and the environment from the dangers of this kind of paint.
If you have an older home or apartment, don’t start renovating or repainting until you get a paint inspection and risk assessment for lead paint hazards in your home. You can get started by calling the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD. The hotline will answer your questions about lead paint and will also send you detailed information about preventing lead poisoning.
At its Web site at
http://www.epa.gov/lead , you can find a list of EPA-certified labs near you where you can send paint chips for testing, and you’ll also find a list of local specialists who can remove or seal the lead. You can also get a helpful free pamphlet from the EPA, Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.
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If the assessment tests positive or your home was built before 1978, it’s time to call in the professionals. You might choose to paint over the lead-based paint to seal the lead, but this quick fix is just that—only a temporary solution. And it’s simply not safe for you to peel away or scrape off lead-based paint on your own, and any attempt to make your baby’s room fresh and lead free by yourself will likely make things worse! When scraping or sanding lead paint, the dust instantly creates a serious health hazard to you and your unborn child. What you need are lead abatement specialists who will enclose the room and then remove the paint and the dust safely. Or they will treat and cover it over in a safe and effective way.
Eco-Friendly Paints
Paints manufactured after 1978 no longer contain lead; however, many do contain other undesirable compounds that also pollute the air and disrupt our health. First on the list of paints to avoid are those that contain high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Because the danger of these compounds has been well established, the EPA has required the reduction of VOC levels in all commercial products.
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