Environmental Update

Gloves up Campaign. Putting safety first
Written by Paul Eaton .

Our hearts go out to people like Tony Gibson who tragically lost his son due to solvent exposure, however the tragedy still goes on, Sheldon Crawford also recently lost his life to solvent exposure. We must, whether we are painting ourselves or employing people to do it for us, take any and all precautions to make sure that we keep our exposure to a minimum. It is not as hard as it sounds, as the glove up campaign states wear gloves where practical , use adequate ventilation , say no to products with Toluene and xylene in them, don’t use thinners
that contain these two killers, use acrylic enamels where possible.
I know the purists like myself will say ohh but the finish isn’t as good, we know that and the sooner the paint companies get rid of the enamels the better (Are you listening paint companies) Ask yourself are the people who get a nicer finish on their doors going to know or care if you or one of the ones you care about die as a result of cancer due to chemical exposure.
Below is an excerpt from a submission Tony is making to the government to get adequate labeling on dangerous products. Good on you Tony we all owe you a great debt of gratitude for the work you are doing.

“On the 12th November 2003 Our Son - Jason Gibson [29yrs] died from solvent exposure in the
work place [Painting] UNNECESSARILY.

Jason died suddenly within 6 days of being diagnosed, we were asked by the NZ Cancer Panel, headed by Dr Evan Dryson, to send his Blood samples to be analyzed.
We have worked diligently to find the link between Jason’s Leukemia “Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia” and the solvents he was using ie; Toluene and Xylene. In 2005 ACC accepted these findings that Jason’s death was caused by working with these carcinogens/Solvents.

Upon these finding’s we have been on a campaign to get more education, especially at the polytechnic level, along with the Glove Up message, to increase awareness in associated business that use solvents, we want them to protect themselves and to make them and others aware of the carcinogens that cause cancers and leukaemia’s resulting in UNNECESSARY death

Entered by Paul Holcombe HDL the painting professioanls www.hdl.co.nz

Environmental update for painters

Environmental update

Paint, you can love it or hate it, but either way you should treat it with respect.

A fresh coat of paint is one of the best ways to refurbish any home or business, however a number of issues are associated with paint ingredients, manufacturing process, application, and disposal of paint and there containers. These concerns are becoming more of a concern to consumers and should be taken into consideration when quoting.

There are now several paint manufacturers who produce products that carry the Environmental Choice eco-label and offer a sustainable alternative.
Mineral turps is sometimes used as a thinner and could contain up to 20% benzene, which is a carcinogen and mutagen in chronically exposed workers.
Water borne paints are much safer to work with as they contain little or no hydrocarbon solvent.

Information from the Ministry of environments web site

Ensure painting contractors:

use paints that meet the Environmental Choice criteria
Dispose of used pails/cans and excess paint responsibility. Paint recycling facilities exist in some centres. See Paintwise for more details.
Complete painting at least two days before occupancy and consider full 'flushing' of the building before occupancy (for example, by leaving windows open or running the building ventilation system for two days).

Useful resources and information
The following companies have products licensed by Environmental Choice New Zealand. An up-to-date list of the license criteria is on the Environmental Choice New Zealand website.
For further information on the products contact the

companies directly:

Enviropaints Ltd (email: info@enviropaints.co.nz)
Dulux Paints Ltd
PaintPlus (email: enquiries@paintplus.co.nz)

Resene (email: advice@resene.co.nz).

Case study: paint
Plenty of options are available with the Environmental Choice eco-label. The Ministry selected paint from the wide range available.

Key things to avoid: aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, halogenated solvents, ethylene glycol, mercury, arsenic, selenium, lead, cadmium, chromium VI, antimony, formaldehyde, lead or titanium dioxide.
To help you compare different products, use the following questionnaire with suppliers and/or manufacturers, where products with an ecolabel (eg, Environmental Choice New Zealand) are unavailable:

Written by Paul Holcombe of HDL the painting professionals www.hdl.co.nz