In an attempt to improve air quality, the 1990 Clean Air Act required the EPA to set limits on air pollutants, including VOCs, that could be released into the air.

VOCs are found in the solvents of all oil-based paints and in some additives in latex paint. The VOCs off-gas as the finish dries. They mix with nitrous oxide — a by-product of fossil fuel combustion — and sunlight to produce ground-level ozone, which is a component of smog. There are toxic chemicals that off-gas in many paints including acetone, formaldehyde precursors, and ammonia, but they don’t count as VOCs because they don’t react to produce smog.

There are two misconceptions about VOCs in paint: That they are the “stink factor” in paint and that dry paint no longer off-gases. In reality some VOCs give traditional paint its characteristic odor but many more VOCs have no odor. And it is estimated that more than 50% of the VOCs in paint are still being released one year after application.

The terms “low-odor” or “low-VOC” paint can be used to identify the VOC content that meets the EPA standard of 250 grams per liter (g/L) for latex paints or 380g/L for oil-based paints.



 

8 types of Renewable energy