NATURAL PAINTS About natural paints What to use where Emulsion paint Satin & gloss paints Clear timber and floor finishes Exterior timber finishes Interior coloured timber finishes Paints, health and the environment Primers and sealers Brush cleaners Floor maintenance Paint strippers Fences, sheds, deckings Specify Case Studies Paints, health and the environment Paints and decorating products present complex safety and environmental issues. Here we discuss some of these in more detail. What is wrong with ordinary paint? Ordinary paints are manufactured from a wide range of ingredients synthesised primarily from petro-chemicals. Because many of these substances bear little resemblance to naturally occurring ones, they are not easily reassimilated into the natural world. Synthesising these ingredients also results in non-degradeable and sometimes highly toxic waste. Product to waste ratio is often very poor, anything from 1:1 to 1:30 (that is, 30 tons of waste to each ton of the product!) The manufacture of synthetic paints produces nearly as much atmospheric pollution as do vehicle exhausts What is so good about natural paint? Natural paints are mainly the result of "gentle chemistry", using ingredients which are close to their natural state, and therefore relatively easily reintegrated into the environment. Raw materials are carefully chosen to avoid extensive processing. Production involves only a few simple steps, which means that unwanted waste remains easily biodegraded, and energy use is low. Most of the ingredients are part of the natural cycle, deriving energy from the sun, and have minimal global impact. Some of your paints contain solvents. What is the difference between these and the solvents in ordinary paints? All solvents (except water) have the potential to affect our health and/or contribute to gobal warming. Ordinary paints use aromatic solvents of the white spirit type, derived from processing of crude oil. These solvents contain volatile compounds such as xylene, which are known to be harmful to human health. Our solvent based paints use two solvents, often in combination: - citrus oils, - aliphatic hydrocarbons. Citrus oils, deriving from orange and lemon peel, can sometimes cause headaches and skin irritation; they make no net contribution to global warming. Aliphatic hydrocarbons have very low odour and are the safest paint solvents available. Derived from crude oil, they do however contribute to global warming. Many of our paints are "high solids" formulations, which means they have the minimum possible solvent content. Aren't water based paints better for the environment and our health? Solvents are not the only problem with paints: it really depends on what else is in the paints you buy. Natural paint ingredients are simple and biogradeable, while citrus and aliphatic solvents are much safer and more environmentally responsible than conventional white spirit solvents. Ordinary water based paints on the other hand are generally the result of even more complex chemical processes than solvent based paints. Many also include some volatile ingredients and biocides which can be harmful to our health. Most natural paint manufacturers are now developing more solvent free products and as the market grows, we can expect this to increase. Can natural paints really help with health and allergy problems? Conventional paints are thought to produce many health problems. For example, the World Health Organisation reports that decorators are faced with a 40% increased chance of contracting lung cancer. The simple natural ingredients in our paints are less likely to produce allergic reactions and are generally much safer than some of the ingredients of conventional paints. Allergies are an increasing health problem in our modern world, a fact that is widely attributed to increasing chemical complexity in the environment. There are no simple solutions to allergies, but because we tell you exactly what is in our paints, it should be easier for you to make an informed choice and avoid suspect ingredients. If you do have a problem with allergies, citrus ingredients or other solvents are one of the prime suspects for causing problems, so it may be advisable to avoid these (look for solvent free). If you think you have an allergic illness, you should consult your medical advisor. Are any of your products tested on animals? Do they contain any ingredients of animal origin? Non of our products is tested on animals. A few contain ingredients of animal origin: Primasol, Ecosol, Colourisers, Water Based Varnishes - casein Primer for Natural Water Based Varnish - shellac Hard Floor Wax - beeswax Borax Timber Preservative - shellac red Who makes your paints? BIOFA Specialist manufacturers of high quality natural paints, which are renowned for their excellent quality and ease of use. Ostermann & Scheiwe Pioneers of high durability wood finishing products based on natural oils. ECO Solutions Innovative manufacturers of a range of ultra safe paint strippers and similar products.