Many workers notice that inhaling spray paint fumes has a negative effect on their health, but few are fully aware of the real hazards that they face.
Health hazards in spray paints
Paint coatings are usually made up of: resins, solvents, pigments and additives and their toxicity is mainly due to volatile organic solvents (VOCs), which give the paint a consistency that will spray easily but, at the same time, have a hazardous effect on the central and peripheral neurological system and the kidneys. In water-based paints, organic solvents and VOCs are present in minimal quantities and toxicity is significantly lower and more likely to cause only skin irritation. In addition to paint, VOCs are released by a wide range of products such as lacquers and paint strippers. The most common VOCs contained in most spray paints are acetone, xylene and toluene:
- Prolonged exposure to acetone can affect the eyes, skin, respiratory system and central nervous system, causing irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, depressive symptoms and dermatitis.
- Xylene can affect the eyes, skin, respiratory system, central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, blood, liver and kidneys, with irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, depressive symptoms and dermatitis.
- Toluene-sensitive organs are the eyes, skin, respiratory system, central nervous system, liver, kidneys, and the symptoms are eye and nose irritation, exhaustion, confusion, euphoria, dizziness, headaches, dilated pupils, watery eyes, anxiety, muscular fatigue, insomnia, kidney and liver damage.
Prevention advice: face masks for spray painters
Before starting, you need to read the labels and the User Instructions of the product you are going to use. You should not drink, eat, or smoke anywhere near where paint is being prepared and used.
Workers in this sector must be fitted out with suitable protective clothing, gloves and respiratory protective devices. The choice of respirator type depends on the length and nature of the job – there are two main types of respirators: air-purifying respirators, which use filters and/or cartridges to remove harmful substances from the air you breathe, and atmosphere-supplying respirators, which provide you with clean air from an uncontaminated source. The latter come in two types, i.e. with a portable compressed, breathable air source, and the continuous flow type; where the operator receives breathable air from an airline connected to a compressor. Atmosphere supplying respirators are used when the contaminant is not easily filterable or is present in very high concentrations and/or the oxygen percentage in the atmosphere is very low (under 17%).
Air purifying respirators are equipped with filters and can be either powered or not. The powered assisted filtering masks are equipped with a battery powered blower unit, which delivers filtered air through a breathing tube, thus providing positive pressure inside the facepiece and improving worker fatigue.
During spray painting, the use of powered assisted full-face masks with particle filters is recommended.
Kasco srl supplies various types of respirators of this kind, including the Zenith1 T5 respirator for respiratory protection when spray painting.
Sep 25 2017
Inhaling paint spray is dangerous: here’s which Respiratory Protective Devices to use
Health hazards in spray paints
Paint coatings are usually made up of: resins, solvents, pigments and additives and their toxicity is mainly due to volatile organic solvents (VOCs), which give the paint a consistency that will spray easily but, at the same time, have a hazardous effect on the central and peripheral neurological system and the kidneys. In water-based paints, organic solvents and VOCs are present in minimal quantities and toxicity is significantly lower and more likely to cause only skin irritation. In addition to paint, VOCs are released by a wide range of products such as lacquers and paint strippers. The most common VOCs contained in most spray paints are acetone, xylene and toluene:
Prevention advice: face masks for spray painters
Before starting, you need to read the labels and the User Instructions of the product you are going to use. You should not drink, eat, or smoke anywhere near where paint is being prepared and used.
Workers in this sector must be fitted out with suitable protective clothing, gloves and respiratory protective devices. The choice of respirator type depends on the length and nature of the job – there are two main types of respirators: air-purifying respirators, which use filters and/or cartridges to remove harmful substances from the air you breathe, and atmosphere-supplying respirators, which provide you with clean air from an uncontaminated source. The latter come in two types, i.e. with a portable compressed, breathable air source, and the continuous flow type; where the operator receives breathable air from an airline connected to a compressor. Atmosphere supplying respirators are used when the contaminant is not easily filterable or is present in very high concentrations and/or the oxygen percentage in the atmosphere is very low (under 17%).
Air purifying respirators are equipped with filters and can be either powered or not. The powered assisted filtering masks are equipped with a battery powered blower unit, which delivers filtered air through a breathing tube, thus providing positive pressure inside the facepiece and improving worker fatigue.
During spray painting, the use of powered assisted full-face masks with particle filters is recommended.
Kasco srl supplies various types of respirators of this kind, including the Zenith1 T5 respirator for respiratory protection when spray painting.
By Kasco Srl • Blog •