A stunning new Low VOC coating offer texture and character.
What are VOC’s? Volatile Organic Compounds, are carbon containing solvents within paints that help paint to spread more easily. VOC’s vaporise into the air as paint dries and are possibly the most harmful chemical in any paint. Based on your paint selection, Gloss, Enamel, Interior or Exterior, VOC levels may be as high as 500 grams per litre (500gm/ltr).
Under the GreenStar rating system, much consideration is given to achieving VOC levels of less than 75gm/ltr, for Indoor Environment Quality. VOC’s can contribute to Sick Building Syndrome, having negative effects on the health of building occupants. Low exposure to VOC’s may cause headaches, dizziness and nausea, with high exposure linked to more serious health issues, such as kidney damage and even cancer. The paint industry is responsible for up to 16% of all VOC emissions in Australia, so if this the effect of VOC’s on building occupants, what is the impact on the broader environment?
Sourceable (on September 10, 2014) quoted from a report released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) stating that Greenhouse Gas Levels have hit a new high. Michael Jarraud, the head of the WMO says “We know without any doubt that our climate is changing and our weather is becoming more extreme. We must reverse this trend by cutting emissions of CO² and other greenhouse gases across the board”. The report stated that concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO²), methane and nitrous oxide all broke fresh records in 2013. Global concentrations of CO², the main culprit in global warming, soared to 396 parts per million last year, or 142% of pre-industrial levels.
With these statistics in mind, our considerations are expanding beyond the GreenStar rating system, to consider the overall environmental impact of building materials. BCI’s 2014 economic report on green building in Australia/New Zealand, listed the top 3 motivations for adopting green building principles as:
When selecting paints and finishes, how do you retain design integrity and achieve the desired aesthetic, while minimising the impact on our environment? Many paint companies are developing interior and exterior paints with lower VOC levels, but what about the finishes on fit-out componentry? On veneered panels, reception counters or paint effects on glass?
Currently these products fall outside the scope of the GreenStar Indoor Environment Quality rating system, because the paints are applied offsite. This may minimise any contribution to sick building syndrome, but where is the transparency on the impact these finishes have on climate change? Site Finisher believes that all paint products should be responsible for the contribution of CO² levels to our environment. Site Finisher has developed a range of finishes called Adorn; a waterbased, low VOC (less than 50gm/ltr) paint coating that offers the aesthetic qualities of matt, satin or gloss paints. Adorn may be applied to timbers, E0 substrates or veneers in clear or tonal effects and may be used to create abstract glass designs, in a broad range of colours. The range is ideal for any fit-out elements in commercial or residential construction.
GreenStar supports the use of Low VOC paints for Indoor Environment Quality. If our paint industry is responsible for up to 16% of all VOC emissions in Australia, what is the impact on the broader environment?
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