Saturday, June 20, 2009

Adventure in a shopping trolley

Today we went out and ran some errands. I got a super secret item in a super secret location (it's father's day tomorrow), and then we went to Home Depot to get paint for the basement. We're trying their new 'no voc' Freshaire paint, which is free of 'volatile organic compounds'. According to the EPA, VOC exposure can cause...

Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.

Sounds lovely, right? The VOC's also remain in the air for a significant time after the paint has been applied, and continue to compromise the air quality. So in our continued efforts to live a greener life, we're trying the no VOC paint, and it had better be awesome, because if course it costs four times as much! (Although, to be fair, the cancer and birth defect causing paint - and yes, these warnings are right there ON THE CAN - is only $11, so it's not like it cost that much, given the added benefits!)

And now that I've shared all that useful information with you, here's the cuteness section... Fiona got to ride in the cart (trolley) that has steering wheels like a car, and she LOVED it.



She was kind of grumpy before, but as soon as she got in, she started laughing and steering. The pictures are with the old camera, because oddly I didn't consider bringing the fancy camera to the hardware store!

And now Ben is painting and I'm blogging. It's not Father's day yet you know! But I suppose I should go and bring him a cold beer and mop his tired brow. Or at least point out some spots he's missed...

3 comments:

The Fat Mess said...

Our paints don't tend to kill you so violently, at least once they removed the lead.

groovesocket said...

I'm as "green" as the next guy. But the levels of VOCs in water-based paint is low enough that they don't cause any harm. I was a house painter for a few years (I painted my way through college!) and never suffered any VOC related illnesses (my problems aren't paint related :0)). I've never heard of any house painter getting sick from the paint when used as directed. You might have some problems if you drank the paint. Oil-based paint had high VOC content, but was taken off the market a few years ago. The "no voc" paint is just another corporate attempt to make money off of the "green" movement. Save your money and buy the so-called "cancer and birth defect causing" paint. The fumes are unpleasant, but ventilate and they go away quickly. I love your blog. Keep up the good work.

Unknown said...

Love it, as usual!