At Algo, we thought of everyone when developing our paint formulas, especially pregnant women. Particularly aware of the risks that painting can pose for pregnant women, we made sure to prioritize formulas that are perfectly compatible with pregnancy.
Smell of water-based paint or acrylic paint: what are the risks during pregnancy?
The beginning of a pregnancy often means a lot of work and planning to best prepare for the birth. Many people undertake to repaint the room where the future baby will be born to create a cozy and pleasant space in which the child can thrive.
However, it is important to remember that paint can release toxic fumes due to the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These are carbon-containing molecules that can be released during the application and drying of the paint. Traditional paints, which contain many chemical elements, are particularly known for VOC emissions that can be very dangerous for children. This is particularly the case with glycol ethers, VOCs that have potential health impacts such as causing irritation to the skin, eyes, or respiratory tract. Even more worrying, they can cause malformations for the fetus that can be particularly severe.
Choose a low-VOC organic paint for painting while pregnant
Faced with these risks, and to allow you to prepare for the arrival of your baby with complete peace of mind, the choice of paint is essential. Algo has developed a wide range of plant-based and organic paints with a VOC content of only less than 1 g/liter. Our paints are therefore much less harmful than the majority of paints you can find on the market and which follow European recommendations recommending a VOC content of less than 30 g/liter. Thus, we guarantee you paints that are safe for pregnant women, as well as for future newborns who will occupy the freshly painted spaces. In addition, you can start painting work without knowing the sex of the child in advance thanks to our wide range of neutral colors, such as pastel shades designed mainly with natural pigments.
Is it dangerous to breathe paint when pregnant?
As mentioned previously: breathing in paint while pregnant is not dangerous if you choose a natural and bio-sourced paint labeled with a label such as the European Ecolabel or Nf Environnement. However, conventional paints: acrylic or even water-based paints mainly composed of solvents or petrochemical derivatives can be dangerous.
Useful precautions before doing your painting work
Furthermore, although the amount of VOCs present in our paints is extremely low, we recommend that pregnant women still take maximum precautions when handling paint, as you can never be too careful. It is therefore advisable to protect your skin with covering clothing, wearing a mask to limit inhalation and ventilating the rooms of the house very regularly. Also make sure to separate the food and drinks you consume, to ensure you do not ingest any solvents that may be found in the paint.
